


Leave It All Behind

by corruptedteacups



Series: Harry Potter, Beyond The Golden Trio [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Bullying, F/M, Major Injury, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-04
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 16:55:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply, Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 36,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5634148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corruptedteacups/pseuds/corruptedteacups
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Charlie Camson seems like every other Slytherin pureblood, mysterious, harsh, prideful, but she isn't what she begins her life at Hogwarts as. She isn't what others assume her to be. When she finally lets go, who will fall with her? Who will fight to keep her locked in order with the rest? Who will accept her for who she is? Who will owe her in the end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Why We're Making Headlines

The fire that burned against the inky stone barely lit the common room, no flickering light reaching past the circle of people gathered around its warmth. The green lanterns decorating the ceiling had long been dimmed, turned low in the early hours of the morning. Charlie Camson didn't know what time it was now, but they had set themselves across the dark leather of the couches shortly after lights out when the rest of Slytherin house had disappeared into their dorms. She was only there because her cousin had been ordered to make sure she made more friends, the three she had not satisfying enough to her aunt and mother. So here she sat, pushed back into the same corner she had made her imprint in the first time she joined Blaise's group of acquaintances and listening to the rumbling voices of the idiots sitting in front of the fireplace argue if it was possible to turn flames different colors without magic or not.

"You cannot. Muggles are too stupid to be able to do that." Crab rolled his eyes. "You can too! I saw it." Goyle argued back, his face turning red. This had been going on for the past twenty minutes with no sign of stopping, the rest of the group quietly conversing around them or staring off into the darkness. Charlie was growing extremely tired of it, her brain cells slowly dying beneath the pale skin of her forehead listening to the two dolts argue without reason. Sighing loudly she sat up from her position leaned back over the arm of the couch, pushing pitch black hair behind her ear to turn on them.

"You can too, with chemicals. Like if you add salt to a fire it turns bright yellow, or Borax makes it turn green." Charlie said lazily, more interested in getting them to stop their stupid argument than sharing knowledge. She felt Blaise shift beside her, sighing softly and looking at her a bit harshly. She returned her cousins glare with one of her own, furrowing her brows in confusion at his anger in her. He'd been acting like this to her ever since she came back for third year with a new outlook, almost punishing her for opening up and coming out of the shadows in the year before. Now it was their fourth year, and it had gone on too long. The room became painfully quiet, conversations pausing as people glanced at her and goosebumps raising on her arms others stared.

"It's speaks." Came a voice from the floor in front of her, the boy at her feet busying himself with braiding his long dark hair. "Shut it Avon." She retorted, planting her toes into the back of his shoulders hard. He stuck his fingers up crudely back at her over his shoulders. She laughed slightly at the response; the humor short lived as she became aware of the person staring at her with a confusing expression from the opposite side of the fireplace.

"What's her name again?" Pale grey eyes questioned as they turned towards her cousin beside her. Rolling her eyes as his nerve to direct the question towards anyone but her, she scoffed loudly before answering before Blaise had the chance. "It's Charlie, Charlie Camson. You know my name Malfoy." She answered, locking eyes with Draco Malfoy as he turned his gaze back to her sharply. His expression seemed like a mix of intrigue and disgust, appalled she had answered his question even though it had not been directed at her. The curiosity behind the look that raised his brow stirred the familiar feeling of attraction in Charlie's chest that had plagued her since the previous year when it had infected her in a very similar position. She realized they were staring at each other when he spoke again, pointed features pulled into a teasing sneer.

"What kind of name is Charlie for a girl?" the Slytherin prince asked, Crab and Goyle snickering at his oh-so-clever retort. Annoyance drew her lip up sarcastically, her eyes staying locked on his as he gloated with a wide grin. "What kind of name is Draco for anybody?" she replied, laughing slightly to herself when Avon drew out a quiet addition of "Burn" through the silence that followed. Pushing herself up from the leather coach, threw a cocky raise of her brows towards Draco before turning to retire to the girl's dormitories with his stare burning into her back the entire way.

The next morning at breakfast she found her place beside her friends taken by Goyle, his bulging body bending the bench as the small and dainty Moira leaned away from him while she stirred her tea. "Move Goyle." Charlie demanded, blowing her bangs out of her face and tucking the strands that were already falling from her bun behind her ear. "You can't sit here." He grunted in reply, digging into a plate of food as Crab snickered from his usual place a few seats down. "Why the hell not?" she questioned, hands planting firmly on her hips as she glared down at his squished face. When no reply came she pulled her wand from her robe, twirling the near white wood between her fingers and pressing the tip to the back of his head. "I will make you move Goyle. And it will not be fun." She muttered dangerously, feeling the stares of her fellow Slytherins rolling off her back. The boy quickly scrambled up from his spot, picking up his plate and moving back down to his usual seat.

"Oh bloody hell the seats warm." Charlie muttered as she sat down, crossing her legs and beginning to make her plate as the people next to her laughed at her disgust. "What the hell was that about?" She asked the strawberry blonde across from her, watching the girl turn her head towards her and shrug. "No idea." Her misty voice carried across the table lighter than air, the strong scent of her chai she drank for breakfast every morning floating with her breath. Lilona was apathetic and mysterious as always, even when her dark circles had begun to poke out from under the thick bangs over her eyes. "It has something to do with Malfoy." Moira stated from her place next to Charlie, chestnut curls poking out in all directions as she added yet more honey to her tea. "He said something to Goyle when they walked in, and then Goyle sat down in your spot. He didn't even acknowledge us when we asked him to move. It was very rude." The girls pouting purple lips pulled back in repulsion, crooked teeth peeking out as she sipped her tea.

"You say one thing to that boy and he turns into a seven year old." The comment caused the small group to erupt into laughter, Moira falling into Charlies shoulder as amusement sparkled in her dark eyes. Movement from across the table caught her eye as Charlie looked up to see Morgan signing something across the table to Lilona. "What is it?" she asked as Lilona signed something back, her fingers moving quickly and languidly before she turned to Charlie. "He's asking what you said. You need to learn quicker." The blonde smirked, causing the dark haired boy to wince in embarrassment like he usually did when someone mentioned learning sign language to speak with him. "I made a comment to shut Crab and Goyle up. He asked Blaise what my name was, I answered him." Charlie said, pouring herself a glass of juice and glancing down at the Slytherin prince sitting a few feet down. "I told him my name, he made fun of it. I made fun of his. We then had tea and talked about the weather." She finished, smiling as Moira snorted into her eggs. The feeling of being watched sent a chill down the dark haired girl's spine, Charlie turning her eyes to meet the cold grey that was watching her from down the table. Her gaze couldn't break away; green freckled brown locked into grey until Blaise sitting down next to her snapped her away, her head turning back towards her friends.

"You fancy him." Moira said with a smile, scooting over to allow the newest addition to their group more room to sit. "Who fancies who?" Bleddyn asked as he began to load his plate with food, looking down the table towards Charlie with a raised brow. "Your sister fancies Malfoy." Moira Mordred clarified, pushing the plate of scones down towards the shaggy haired blonde. "Can't say I blame her." Bleddyn answered, green eyes obscured by the teasing wink he sent Charlie's way. "I do not fancy Malfoy." She lied, tearing apart a piece of toast before popping some into her mouth. All four people turned to look at her, brows raised at her statement and at Blaise who had spoken up. "You can do better, Malfoy is a prick." The tall boy said, looking out of the corner of his eye at Charlie with a smile. "Well Blaise you blew your kind words for the day before I've even finished breakfast, that's a new record." She laughed, nudging him with her shoulder gently before returning to her breakfast.

"She can like whoever she pleases, it's not negotiable." Lilona placed her fork down with a soft clang, leaning her chin on her hands after pushing the empty plate away from her. Morgan signed to her, thankfully taking the attention away from Charlie and onto himself as he rapidly formed words with his hands. "I eat enough. We're not talking about this now." Was all Lilona signed back before she stood, slinging her knit bag over her shoulder before holding her hand out to the second year girl Josie had hardly noticed until now. Ailisa Nortrad was a very small girl much like her sister, the same dreamy air surrounding her and the same pale hair framing her face. Their family had been rumored to be descendants of the great psychic Nostradamus, and one look at the siblings would have you believing. The only differences in appearance between Lilona and her younger, smaller sister were that Alisa's hair parted directly down the middle to reveal deep obsidian orbs peeking out from the dark circles that surrounded her eyes and a dark birthmark shaped like a star stood out from the center of her cheek. This birthmark dipped inward when she smiled, as it did now that she smiled a goodbye at Bleddyn and stood to follow her sister out of the hall.

"Where do those two go?" Bleddyn asked, stuffing a piece of toast between his lips with a raised brow. "None of your business." Moira answered, glancing down towards the end of the table. "Do you think Malfoy heard?" she asked, hushed voice almost inaudible in the roar of the students. "I really don't care; nothing will come from my friends gossiping that I fancy him." Charlie answered, stabbing the strawberry on her plate before turning to look at her. "Please don't go around spreading that I like Malfoy, I'll never hear the end of it." Moira only nodded, smiling widely as her curls bounced. "Of course. We're in this together, right?" she said, pouring herself more tea. Soon enough the only people left at the table of the group were Morgan and Charlie, the latter of which had busied herself with sketching in the corner of her Potions notes with the leftover ink in her quill from writing to her mother earlier in the morning while the former finished his breakfast. A tap on the table rose Charlie from her strokes, blowing her bangs out of her face to look at Morgan as he slid down closer to her.

"Are you ok?"he signed, brows knit in worry as he looked at her."I'm fine, just tired." She replied, fingers moving slower than his as she formed the words. "You pretend to not know how to sign when they're here. Why?"Morgan asked, a small smirk twitching at the corner of his lips. "Our conversations are our conversations. We don't need to share them. I'm not perfect at it yet." She replied, fumbling a bit on the longer words. He only nodded, drinking the last of his orange juice before standing and holding a hand out to her. Rolling up her parchment, she shook her head before nodding it down the table. "I promised a third year my Herbology notes from last year in exchange for sweets." She said, laughing as the broad boy rolled golden eyes and turned to walk away. Charlie got down to the small dark boy she had found panicking over his classes at the far end of the table, handing him the large roll of parchment with a smile as he handed her a bag of sweets he had gotten on family vacation. It wasn't until she began to leave the hall that trouble arose, her way down the stairs blocked by three sets of feet that she spied over the top of the class schedule she had received that morning.

She looked up to meet the chests of Crab and Goyle, her eyes rolling hard enough to give her a headache as she looked up at them. "Can I help you?" she asked as politely as possible, folding her schedule and placing it into her pocket. "Camson, what a surprise meeting you here. " Malfoy drawled as he appeared around Goyle, hands shoved into the pockets of his robes as he sneered. "Yes, it's an awful shock to run into you on the stairs to the dungeons. It's like we're not even in the same house whose dorms are located in the basement or that we could possibly have Potions at this time." Charlie replied, voice rolling with sarcastic astonishment as she watched his eyes narrow slightly. His annoyance in her didn't last long, his eyes wandering down her arm to notice the velvet bag clutched in her hand. "What's that?" he asked, reaching forward to take it from her hands. She lifted the bag and poured some of its contents into her hand before his fingers could even brush the fabric. "It's candy, would you like some? " She replied, holding her palm flat to offer the foiled covered treats to him. The shock in his eyes softened his face, his features seeming less pointed and more pleasant than usual. "Probably disgusting and cheap." He replied as his face hardened again. "Or cursed." Crab added, shuffling behind the pack leader with his tail between his legs. "You're probably right." She said as she unwrapped one, the dark cocoa specked with flakes of crisp white coconut standing out from its light silver foil. Popping it into her mouth she let it melt on her tongue before raising a brow and walking around them, stepping down the stairs with a bounce as she called behind her. "If you would like one just ask!" The deepness of her voice echoed off the walls; back up towards the three boys that she had left behind her.

Draco and Charlie had always been like this, at least since she stopped acting like a skittish mouse and gained her confidence last year. Ever since she started talking in the group of spoiled rotten Slytherins she had been getting bad reactions, they were too used to her being a quiet girl who only talked when you spoke to her, someone to get notes and homework off of. Charlie was still giving as ever and would gladly share with anyone who asked, they just had to ask her in the right way. Many of them did not ask the right way, especially her cousin and Malfoy, who had gotten very angry with her the first time they denied them access to her things.

"Camson, give us your notes." Blaise sat next to Charlie as Potions ended after her partner, Moira, had left for the library, hands clasp in front of him as Draco leaned on his elbows and smirked down at her. Charlie couldn't help but stutter as her mouth went dry as she looked up at him, catching her lip between teeth before rolling up her parchment. "Maybe if you ask nicely later, Malfoy, I will." She answered, packing her things up in her bag and standing to leave. Blaise watched from his seat as Draco blocked her way out, arms on each desk and his nose inches from hers as he scowled at her. "Why should I have to ask you again?" he sneered, straitening up and looking down his long nose at her. Charlie kept her knees from shaking and willing the flush on her cheeks to stay away for a few moments longer. With a step forward she had her chest almost flushed against his, hands braced on the desks so her fingers brushed the tips of his in a mimic of his stance. She tried her hardest to keep her gaze hard as she stared up into cold blue-grey.

"Because as a fellow Slytherin of long-line pure-blood you should know a few things about respect." She said, her voice shaking dangerously. Another boy in the room whistled loudly, triggering a couple loud mouth Gryffindors who had lagged behind to hoot at the standoff happening in front of them. As Charlie felt her cheeks heat up, she pushed past the fair-haired Slytherin prince and walked swiftly out of the room.

It had seemed that since the moment Draco realized that Charlie wasn't going to back down to him or return his cruelty back, he'd been giving her more attention than when she was just another girl that hung out with his acquaintances. The two of them had formed a competitive relationship, and this year was most likely not going to be any different than the last. In fact, it seemed to be turning out to be even better.


	2. Rumor Has It

The classroom was alive with chatter as the students talked excitedly about the Tri-Wizard Tournament, something Charlie didn't understand at all. None of them could answer, what was the point? All they would do was watch, like at a Quidditch match, so who cared what happened or who got picked. "Fame and glory my arse." She muttered, drawing circles on her parchment. "Cheer up butter cup; this should be fun in the end." Moira smiled, fixing her hair in her small handheld mirror. "You look fine." Charlie said with a sigh, shaking her head at her. "You can never be sure." Moira replied snapping it closed and leaning against the counter of the potions table. "I'm sure you look fine." Charlie replied, rolling her eyes while playing with her tie.

Moira smiled before sitting on the stool behind her and smoothing out her skirt. "It will be interesting to watch, and it's not like you have anything to worry about, we're not old enough to enter." "So why should I care?" Charlie asked, sitting next to her and adjusting the rolled waist of her skirt. "Because our peers can enter and it's a game of life and death, which is always fun." Moira grinned. "You just like bloodshed." Charlie grinned, ducking away from the perfectly painted fingernails that came her way. "Quiet, that's not something people should be saying about me." "Like it's not obvious, isn't there a rumor that your families red hair came from some blood sacrifice or gruesome battle or something?" "Rumors are rumors, I have an image." Moira turned up her nose at her before unrolling her parchment.

Charlie couldn't help but laugh, playfully ruffling the side of Moira's hair before ducking out of the other girls arm swinging at her. "I just fixed that!" she yelled, pulling out her mirror again to adjust. "Yeah, so did I." Charlie said, grinning widely before leaning forward to nudge Lilona in the back. The blonde turned around from signing with Morgan, her long hair pulled into a high bun for potions. "Yes?" she asked softly. "What did you see when you did your reading about the tournament last night?" she asked, slipping her robe off her shoulders and pulling her own hair back with an ornate stick she kept in her bag.

"It's not good." Lilona replied before turning around again. "Wonderful." Charlie replied, leaning her chin in her hand. Talking rose as the door banged open, Crabbe, Goyle, and Malfoy strolling into the room laughing loudly. "Double wonderful." Charlie sighed as Malfoy set his bag on the table next to her and sat down next to Blaise. Charlie smirked to herself as Malfoy began to unpack his things. "How's your morning Blaise?" Charlie asked around Malfoy, blatantly ignoring his existance, smirking a bit when he shot a look in her direction. "Same as always." He replied, smiling as they could feel Malfoy fuming between them. It was always a fun time when Blaise stopped hating her for being herself and worked with her to annoy others. Charlie almost broke down into laughter as Snape walked in just as the Slytherin prince opened his mouth to complain, effectively shutting him up.

The class was over quickly, and Charlie quickly packed up her things so she could get to lunch as soon as possible. Double Potions took a toll on Charlie, she liked the class well enough but she hated how long it lasted. All she wanted was to go eat and go take a nap, pulling her robe back on and slinging her bag over her shoulder she planned to do just that.

The great hall was bustling when she entered, nearly everyone already seated and their voices roaring into her ears. She tossed her bag into the floor underneath her seat before sitting down blindly, sighing loudly and immediately filling her plate. "Someone is in a mood." Bleddyn laughed, refilling his goblet before downing half of it in one gulp. "Mind your manners." Moira scolded him, cutting her food into perfect pieces before she began eating. "I had double potions, with Malfoy and Blaise at that. It's hard work ignoring someone but still letting them know you're ignoring them." Charlie explained. "Just snog the guy already, you have the most backwards flirting I've ever seen." Bleddyn sighed. "Like you're any better." Charlie shot back, smirking when her brother shifted nervously and shot a look down the table. "Shove off."

"Has anyone had Defense Against the Dark Arts yet?" She asked, sipping daintily from her cup. "Not me." Bleddyn replied. "You all are in the same class, I don't know why you're asking." "I'm dreading it, Professor Moody seems awful." Moira replied. "You're just upset the new teacher this year isn't attractive." Charlie laughed as she nudged the girl in the side. "I resent that." "I'm sure you do. But you know I'm right." "You are not!" Charlie raised a brow at her, snorting through her nose. "Oh really? The only teachers you've enjoyed here are the ones that are either A. McGonagall or B. Attractive. You thought Professor Lupin was, and I quote, "ruggedly dreamy", liked that he was witty, and took every chance you could to talk to him outside of regular class time. Second year you swooned constantly over Professor Lockhart and didn't even care that he didn't know a damn thing about the Dark Arts as long as you got to look at him." Charlie finished, grinning triumphantly when Moira shot her a glare as her cheeks flushed.

"At least I don't flirt like a twelve year old boy." Charlie sighed loudly, rolling her eyes as the subject was shifted back to her. "Can you all leave me alone? It's none of your business how I conduct my own." Morgan snorted into his tea, shaking his head at her and wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. "You like the little rat; you have since third year, when he hit that growth spurt." Lilona smirked beneath her bangs. "I know you all know that." "Everyone knows that." Charlie felt her heart stop, her quick words falling short in her mouth and dying there. She glanced quickly around to see who was near, relaxing a bit to see that none of Malfoys friends were here yet. "What the bloody fuck do you mean everyone knows?" Charlie hissed, shoving her plate away from her and leaning into the group. "The overall consensus about your feelings for him is split; everyone who cares either thinks that you're head over heels for him or that you'd dance on his grave." Moira calmly explained. "Parkinson thinks it both." Bleddyn added. Charlie sighed, relaxing a bit. "It's very rude for you to lead her on like that; you're going to give her a heart attack." "I think it's funny." "I think you're cruel." Moira shot back to Lilona, who was laughing softly into her cup. "Rumors are rumors." Moira coaxed, patting Charlies hand lightly. "But I have an image." Charlie shot back, smiling a bit when the other girl rolled her eyes at her.

"Okay so, people aren't sure that I like him? It's not like an ongoing rumor that's going to get back to him through Parkinson right?" Charlie asked. "No, it's not. The school isn't entirely convinced you'd suck his dick in five seconds." Avon said as he sat next to her, laughing when Charlie turned to smack him on the arm. "Will you shut up?" she hissed, glaring at the long haired Slytherin who settled in next to her. "Calm down." "You try and stay calm when your friends are conspiring against you." "I would but I don't have friends." The entire table fell quiet for a moment as every eye turned to look at Avon, who had begun quietly piling food on his plate.

"Oh, fuck you Avon!" Charlie said loudly, the group falling into a fit of laughter at her outburst. Even Avon chuckled at her comment, nudging her good naturedly. The group was still laughing and joking when the Slytherin table suddenly became more crowded, parting like the sea to allow the newest edition. "You'd think students would have more class being in Slytherin." Charlie immediately followed the voice, watching from under her bangs as Draco Malfoy sat down, Pansy and Blaise on either side of him and Crabbe and Goyle squeezing in on Charlie's row. The nudge in her side from Moira pulled her eyes away from them and back to her friends. "What's next?" Lilona asked, sitting up strait and eyeing the bustling Gryffindors who were leaving early. "Divination." Moira said stiffly, rocking back and forth in her seat impatiently. Charlie stood, slipping her bag over her shoulder. "Well, here goes nothing."

"I'm getting a bloody headache." Moira sighed, rubbing her temple with one hand while she fanned the overly perfumed air away from her face. "You have to admit though, she has style." Charlie complimented, smiling as she looked around the room. "Imagine snogging some cute boy up here, mood lighting and everything right?" she joked, laughing when Moira widened her eyes at her and flushed. "Is that something you do often Camson?" Charlie sighed as the voice settled into a knot in her chest, turning her head to the person setting his book down on the table next to her. "Why would that be any of your business Malfoy?" Charlie chimed, resting her jaw against her fist as she looked up at him. "It isn't, you're the one who think it's a splendid idea to be talking about it in the middle of a classroom." She couldn't look him in the eye, not when she was being like this towards him, instead focusing on his cheek bone. Cold grey eyes watched her as she turned her body to face him completely, crossing her legs with a flourish and looking up at him from under her bangs. "Jealous Draco?" she said heart fluttered in her chest at his dumbfounded expression, chancing a look at his eyes as they blinked in search of a retort. She was instantly sucked into them, forcibly pulling her eyes away when Professor Trelawney stepped into the room and began her lesson.

While she was preoccupied with Harry Potter, as usual, Charlie took to sketching in her notes and sunk down into the cushion beneath her. She only looked up again when Trelawney began speaking to Potter about what planet he was born under, the entire class falling silent at the awkward encounter going on in front of them. The soft snort that came from behind her caused her to turn her head to look at Malfoy, leaned back in his seat with arms crossed and a stern expression. Curiosity wormed into her mind as she watched him, strands from her ever messier bun falling into her eyes as she lifted her quill from her paper. She analyzed him, like she often did to other people, eyes moving over his face to study the lines between furrowed brows and the near white flecks in icy eyes. Charlie jumped slightly when his gaze rolled in aggravation at everyone's obsession with Potter and turned to look at her. The two of them locked eyes for a second, Charlie willing her cheeks to stay deathly pale as they stared for what felt like forever. She couldn't figure out what he was thinking, he was lacking the sneer and hard brow of angry taunting, and the cruel light behind his eyes of teasing. He was just looking at her, his eyes flickering somewhere else before looking back to her eyes. Charlie had to break eye contact to gather courage, glancing at the floor before back up at him as stained lips pulled into a small smile.

It was Malfoy who broke the encounter as work was passed around, Charlie turning back to Moira as she began to speak rapidly. "What planet are you born under? I'm under Venus since I'm a Libra." She asked as she began to flip through her book to fill out the assigned work. "I'm an Aquarius, so I'm under Uranus." Charlie read from over her shoulder, dipping her quill in ink to begin filling out her paper. After a while she gave up, sighing loudly, and turning to look around her. She hated stuff like this, it was too far out of her control for her to understand. She glanced around for help, spying Lilona sitting seats down on the row ahead of her. Charlie slowly stood up; glancing at Trelawney for any argument, but the professor was caught up in explaining the stars to Lavender Brown and Pavarti Patil.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Sighing softly, Charlie turned to look behind her, light eyes staring at her from over his book. "I'm asking my friend for help. Am I not allowed, my prince?" her sarcasm fell a little flat in her hushed voice, her cheeks flushing slightly when Malfoy quirked a brow at her. Quickly moving out of the situation, Charlie slid between Lilona and the person next to her. Lilona quickly explained how it was done, with a few patronizing comments in her usual fashion, but Charlie understood better by the time she got back to her seat. She filled in her own paper quickly, scribbling out prior mistakes and looking over to Moira to see if she needed any help. Her friend was already done, twirling her hair as she conversed with the boy next to her about the project.

She chanced a glance over her shoulder as she redid her bun, fingers working quickly, not caring how messy it was as long as it kept her hair out of her face and off her neck. The summer heat combined with their uniforms was driving her up a wall. Blaise looked ready to smack Pansy next to him, the girl babbling on in her usual manner. Charlie snorted into her shoulder at her cousin's expression, jaw clenched so hard she was almost afraid he was going to break it. Gaze wandering down the row, she caught Malfoy's eye again. The Slytherin prince was staring at her, watching as her arms lowered slowly as she finished with her hair and flipped the excess too short to be tied back out of her face. "Yes?" she asked softly, raising her brow at him in expectance for an answer.

He opened his mouth to speak, but didn't say anything. Charlie glanced at his paper, mostly blank and then at Crabbe by his side as she formed her words to best suit him. "Do you mind if I help you?" He pulled his eyes away from her, looking down at his own paper as he crossed his arms and sat up straighter. "Sure, if you think you can understand this." He sneered. Charlie rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile a bit as his pride. "I'll try." She replied, turning herself in her seat and moving it closer him. "I can help you Draco." Pansy stated from her table, leaning around Blaise and casting a glare at Charlie before smiling in a manner she probably believed attractive at Malfoy. She was waved off carelessly, Charlie coughing into her sleeve quietly to hide her laugh. Leaning on her palm and watching as the light danced off her charm bracelet and over his high cheeks, Charlie turned to Malfoy. "What planet are you born under?" she asked, watching as he flipped through his book. "How the hell am I supposed to know?" he commented, his sneer less abrasive than usual. "Do you know your sign?" "Gemini, I think." Charlie laughed lightly, leaning over to take the book out of his hand.

"Figures." She muttered to herself, tracing her fingers down the page. "Well what's yours then?" he asked shifting to lean his arms on the table and watch her. "Aquarius." She said simply, handing him his book back. "There, you're born under Mercury. Congratulations." Malfoy looked over the page, raising a brow before dipping his quill in ink and beginning to attempt to fill out his page. Charlie wandered her eyes across the room, looking at everyone working and shooting Moira a look for raising her brow suggestively at her actions. "This is ridiculous." Charlie turned back towards him, fixing her rolled sleeve and placing her hands in her lap. "Let me see." She said, taking his still warm quill and parchment from him.

"You're mostly right; Mercury is a little odd because it rules two signs." She said, mostly to herself, but she caught him leaning in closer to her to listen. "How can you possibly understand this? She's out of her mind." Malfoy scoffed, loosening his tie at what Charlie assumed was the heat of the room. It was always too warm up here, the sun beating on the windows and filtering through the curtains not helping at all. Charlie had shed her robes, rolled her sleeves and unbuttoned the collar of her shirt in the middle of the lesson. "I didn't until I had Lilona explain, but that's usually how it goes in most classes." "It doesn't seem like it, in Potions at least." Charlie stopped mid letter, glancing up at him and chewing at her lip. The compliment had taken her completely off guard, even more so than their casual conversation already had. "I understand potion making fairly well." She replied, returning to writing. "It's just putting things together to make something else, just things interacting, it reminds me of how people interact with each other." She added, crossing her legs as she finished filling in his missing pieces.

"That's an odd way of looking at it." "Not really." She replied. "It's like, if you mix one person with the wrong group of people, it can lead to something toxic and harmful to others, a poison. But, if you mix the right people together it can make something wonderful, like a cure, or something powerful, like a love potion." "You're too sentimental." Charlie couldn't help but laugh, crossing her last letter and turning the paper towards him. "Done." She said simply, placing his quill down. As he leaned towards her to get a look at her work, his leg brushed against hers, the bare skin of her knee pressing into the warmth of his leg through his trousers. Charlie jumped slightly, goose bumps appearing on her arms despite the warm air and her breath getting caught in her throat. He glanced at her, jaw slack as they stared at each other in silence for a moment before she shifted nervously to unnecessarily re-straighten her skirt and pull her body away from his. "Sorry." She said softly, keeping her eyes away from his in case she began to flush.

"It was my fault." He said, the uncharacteristic answer jerking Charlie's eyes back to his in surprise. She caught him glance down before flicking his gaze back to hers, then to the parchment. "How'd you figure this out?" he questioned after clearing his throat and examining her work. "I didn't." she said with a smile, gloating when he looked up at her in confusion. "Lilona's partner is a Gemini, I've been cheating off her paper." She said with a smile, standing up when the bell tolled and slipping her robes back on before gathering her things. "See you later then." She told him, watching as he slowly packed his things and clutched a rolled Prophet in his hands. He only nodded before Charlie's arm was taken by Moira and the two girls left the tower together, the hairs on Charlie's neck standing on end from the gaze that followed.


	3. You Bite Your Friends Like Chocolate

Loaded down with homework due to the immature jokes of her Gryffindor classmates, Charlie headed down for the great hall with the rest of the students. Idly listening to Moira and Lilona talk about the homework, she played with the chipping nail polish of her nails. The line for dinner was long, and she wasn’t ready to wait for another evening listening to the roar of first years when all she wanted was to dull the roar in her stomach. “Of course that awful boy had to make a comment like that, Gryffindors are all children.” “Moira you’re fourteen.” Charlie tuned in long enough to say what everyone was thinking, faux shuddering at her glare. “Doesn’t mean we have to act like it.” Lilona shook her head at the two of them, shoving past them to grab her sister out of the group of younger Slytherins chattering in line. “Alisa, have you had divination yet?” Charlie checked out of the conversation as soon as it started, leaning against the wall of the side of the staircase as they waited for the crowds to disperse. A commotion above them caused the group to turn, Charlie ducking around the railing of the staircase to look up. 

“Your dad’s in the paper Weasley!” “Oh no, what has he found to rile up Potter this time.” Charlie sighed. “He’s obsessed.” Moira added, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Listen to this!” Malfoy’s voice rang out over the crowds, attention being drawn to the Slytherin prince as he read on with a grand flourish. “He’s obsessed with the attention; it’s just easy to get when you include ‘the boy who lived’ and his friends.” “I highly doubt Malfoy has any trouble getting attention with his father, his crones, Parkinson and you.” Charlie turned to Lilona, eyes like ice as she hissed out a retort. “You know nothing about his life; you shouldn’t pass judgement like that. I’ve met his father, and I can tell you it was a less than lovely experience.” “I didn’t know you felt so strongly about his well-being.” Charlie’s jaw went tight, rolling her eyes at the blonde and turning back to look up at Malfoy.  
“Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn’t she?” “That was low, even for him.” Charlie sighed. Her eyes wandered down to the fuming Ron Weasley as Potter tried to pull him away. “Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren’t you, Potter?” “Of course, he was just trying to get to Potter.” “Shut up!” Charlie hissed at Moira, peering around slots in the staircase to get a better look. “So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is just the picture?” Malfoy sneered, looking very pleased with his self. “You know your mother, Malfoy? That expression she’s got, like she’s got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?” “Oh no.” Charlie felt all the blood leave her body as she watched the line of Malfoy’s jaw harden as pale skin turned red with anger. “Don’t you dare insult my mother, Potter.” She didn’t even hear the retort, body tensing and her vision blurring as watched Draco Malfoy draw his wand and aim it at Harry Potter with pure, white hot anger.

She swore she screamed, she knew Moira did behind her. People ran as Potter reached into his robes, but he didn’t get far before he was stopped. “Oh no you don’t laddie!” Charlie whipped her head towards Professor Moody, wand drawn, and almost hit her head on the railing of the staircase when she did. It went dead silent, all eyes on the ex-auror. In a panic Charlie looked for Malfoy, following the line of Moody’s wand to see a small white ferret shaking against the cold tile floor. Her heart ached, she wanted to run up the stairs, shove Crabbe out of the way and somehow fix the situation. Anyone could say what they wanted about Slytherins, but no-one could argue that their allegiance to those they deemed worthy was enough to begin wars  
.  
As soon as Moody moved towards Malfoy, the small animal took off in fear towards their common room. He was caught quickly, levitated and cruelly bounced off the floor like a ball. “Barbaric.” Moira muttered behind her, unaware of the inner turmoil brewing in her friend in front of her. “I don’t like people who attack when their opponent’s back is turned,” Charlie’s eyes never moved from the white fur, even as Moody spoke. Her body came back to her as it winced back against the cold stone and she became aware of the pitiful sounds Malfoy was making, louder and louder as he was bounced higher and higher. “Professor Moody!” Charlie was never so thankful to hear Professor McGonagall’s voice in her entire time at Hogwarts, finally tearing her eyes away from Malfoys pathetic form to watch Gryffindor’s head of house come down the stairs. “Hello, Professor McGonagall.” Moody answered, never stopping his torture. “What-what are you doing?” “Teaching.” Charlie wanted to rip that cursed eye out of his skull. “Teach- Moody, is that a student?” Books tumbled to the floor, breaking the deathly silence that had strangled the crowd. “Yep.” “No!” 

The stillness ended as McGonagall drew her wand and with a loud snapping, Malfoy transfigured back to his human self against the floor. He avoided eye contact with everyone as he got to his feet, face brilliantly flushed in embarrassment and his hair out of place. Charlie watched as his expression swung between humiliation and anger, muttering under his breath as the two teachers conversed. The mention of his father brought Moody’s attention back to Malfoy. “Oh yeah?” The professor lunged dangerously towards him, Malfoy wincing back slightly. “Well, I know your father of old, boy. You tell him Moody’s keeping a close eye on his son, you tell him that from me. Now, your Head of House’ll be Snape, will it?”

Charlie became aware of someone tugging on her arm, turning as Moody dragged Malfoy down to the dungeons towards her friends. “Charlie, let go of your wand.” Moira said slowly from around Morgan, his hand holding her wrist as her hand gripped the swirling wood inches out of her pocket. She let it go immediately, the wand slipping back into the fabric, as she realized she had been holding it since Malfoy drew his own. Blinking her eyes from the dampness forming she cleared her throat and forced a smile. “Dinner anyone?” Her cheerfulness was weak as her friends stared at her, Charlie turning on her heel and walking swiftly into the Great Hall. Dinner was near silent, the walk back to the common room was even quieter. No-one knew what to say after what they had witnessed, and no-one dared joke about it to ease the tense air in case Crabbe or Goyle heard. “What the hell are you looking around for?” Bleddyn asked, feet propped up against the wall. “Don’t worry about it.” Charlie answered, putting her nose back into their Divination homework as Moira sighed beside her. “Leave her alone. It must be traumatizing to watch the boy you’re crazy for being turned into a ferret.” 

“Moira, shut the fuck up.” Charlie said, glancing at the red head over her parchment. “I’m being understanding.” She argued, dipping her quill in ink before going back to writing. “Where’s Lilona? She should be helping us with this, I help her in Potions.” Charlie complained, watching as Morgan shrugged at her before going back to conversing with a mermaid through the glass of the common room wall. “She’s not feeling well.” Avon said, rolling up his parchment before standing. “I’m done with this; I can always ask her another day.” “I agree, it’s getting late and I still have to take a bath.” Moira agreed. The group parted ways, Bleddyn and Charlie staying in their seats long after the rest had gone.  
“What’s up with you?” Charlie rolled her eyes, looking at her brother. “I’m fine, Bleddyn, really.” “Obviously not, Moira said you almost jumped in the middle of Potter and Malfoy earlier.” “Moira is over reacting.” With a rustle, Bleddyn moved, sitting at her feet and taking her hand in an uncommon act of tenderness. Charlie couldn’t help but look up. “Char, you know if you need to talk I’m here. I’m a little shit of a brother, but I’m still your brother.” A smile broke the thin line of her lips, softening her hard exterior. “I’m fine. I just got a little emotional, you would have too. Malfoy or not, what Moody did today was completely barbaric, cruel even. No student should have to go through that, not even a prick like Malfoy.” Bleddyn sighed loudly, nodding as she spoke. “I heard, it sounded fucking awful all right.” Silence fell between the both of them, the fire crackling in the distance filling the void. “We should sleep, its’ late.” Charlie had to agree with her brother, rolling up her parchment and running her fingers through her hair. “Right, I’ll probably have to sneak around to get ready for bed, Moira will slaughter me if I disturb her beauty sleep.” The two laughed, picking up their things and wishing each other good night before parting ways. “Don’t wake the dragon.” Bleddyn grinned, disappearing down the dark hallway to the boy’s dorms. 

The next morning Charlie almost rolled out of bed, Moira’s bustling about waking her before the morning-driven girl yanked open her curtains. “Get up! You’ll be late to breakfast.” She called, untying the silk she kept around her curls to keep them perfect as she slept. “I don’t care.” Charlie groaned, covering her eyes from the lights in the room. “You’ll be a terror if you don’t eat before lunch.” She sighed, sliding her body towards the edge of the bed before falling onto her feet and stretching. “I hate it when you’re right.” Dressing quickly, Charlie ruffled her hair and set with twisting her bangs out of her face and pinning them with shining silver bobby pins for the day. Her uniform looked like it always did, the waist of her skirt for once not rolled due to it being from the year before and a bit too snug around her hips, her shirt showing her black tank top underneath, her tie loose around her neck and her flats shining against the cotton of her socks bunched around her ankles. Quickly catching up with Moira, who somehow got ready before Charlie every morning despite her routine being far more extensive, Charlie fell in line on the way towards the great hall. 

Lilona was conversing with Blaise when they arrived; talking about homework in a class they shared. Quickly the group came together, forgetting Charlie’s emotional outburst the night before as they began to talk about classes and ate their fill. Charlie lost herself in reading ahead in their potions textbook, sipping tea and tossing her breakfast together until it became a mess of potato, tomatoes, eggs and sausage. She smirked to herself knowing her mother would kill her for playing with her food, falling back into a passage about untraceable poison as she ate. The only time she glanced up was when the table went quiet, conversations continuing within the other houses as Slytherin hushed. “He looks awful.” Moira muttered quietly, Charlie’s eyes following the lines made by others and watching as Draco Malfoy slowly sat down at the table. “You would too if you went through that.” Charlie said, turning her eyes back down to the paper as breakfast continued. 

She was right, Malfoy did look awful. Dark circles under his eyes, jaw set hard as he glared at anyone who looked his way and his skin still sallow from the day before. Charlie tried to ignore him, finishing her breakfast quickly and swirling the cold tea in her cup before downing it with a crinkle of her nose. She couldn’t help but glance at him, noticing he ate little more than some tea and a bit of toast before standing and walking out of the great hall. With a sigh as her book closed, Charlie placed it in her bag and turned to her friends. “I’ve got to see Babbling before his class later, I’m going to drop by on the way, and I’ll see you all in first period.” She lied with a smile, standing and slinging the shining leather bag over her shoulder before walking out of the hall. 

Charlie scanned around her, knowing she didn’t have much time before class and following a hunch she headed down the hallway to the nearly empty classroom of Slytherin’s first period mandatory class. A few Ravenclaw students mulled around, arriving early to read through their books, and a single Slytherin sat a few rows back from them. Pacing the hallway and wasting away time she would curse herself later for, Charlie finally found her nerve and reached into her bag before walking into the classroom as the roar from the great hall broke and students began to leave. She stopped a few feet behind him, swallowing thickly before silently stepping closer. Glancing at Malfoy she was relieved he hadn’t looked up from the book he was reading, fingers clenching the thick leather cover. Charlie moved as quietly as possible, the foil barely crinkling as she set down the chocolate next to his hand and retracted to return the velvet bag back to its place. 

Malfoy’s head turned slightly to glance at the sweet before looking up at her as she unwrapped her own. Her chest relaxed when his expression showed no resentment or anger, only confusion as he raised a brow at her. “You don’t have to ask, this time at least.” Charlie said with a small smile, taking a bite as she sat down on the row in front of him, students filing in the door behind him. She turned her head to smile at Moira as she sat next to her, glancing over her shoulder and smiling softly as watched Malfoy’s pale fingers close around her gift and heard the sound of foil ruffling behind her.


	4. Just Can't Look It's Killing Me

Double potions dragged on forever, Charlie's hair falling over her face as she slaved over her potion to try and finish before they had to leave. Moira was no help, fumbling over the pages of her book while Charlie did all the work. Sighing, she stepped back from the caldron and ran her fingers through her hair, and began to braid it to get it out of her face. She had kept it down to look nice for the arrival of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, but it was proving to be too much for her to handle. Her fingers worked quickly to work her thick hair into a single braid, shorter pieces still falling around her face as she went back to work. She pressed her lips together, her lip balm causing them to slide against each other as she watched her potion bubble before adding rosemary and waiting for the color to turn.

Moira clearing her throat next to her snapped her out of her thoughts; head turning to look at her friend. Her eyes were glancing between her and someone behind Charlie, head nodding over the dark haired girls shoulder with a small smirk. Charlie turned to see what she was getting at, her chest tightening when she realized Malfoy was just behind her, any step closer surely to bring them nose-to-nose. "I recall you boasting that potions were easy for you." He drawled, an annoying smirk tilting his features as he looked down at her. Charlie glanced down in an attempt to break his gaze and swallowing to clear the dryness in her mouth. "Sometimes it takes more work to make something mix well." She replied, looking back up at him with what she hoped was an effective toss of her bangs.

Draco Malfoy laughed, genuinely chuckled and her heart almost stopped. She had heard him laugh before but she never was sure if he was laughing with her quips or at them. Since their encounter in Divination and her act of kindness, Draco had been acting different towards her. Perhaps because she was acting differently towards him, watching him to make sure he was all right after the ferret incident and saying a polite hello when they crossed paths. She was worried about him. After what he had been through at the hands of Professor Moody he was especially jumpy around their teacher and was now at the mercy of the students that were going to use it against him. Charlie nearly throttled Avon when he made a crack about Malfoy being much cuddlier as a ferret, only stopping herself from raising a hand to her friend when she realized Malfoy was steps in behind her and instead settling on a hissed "Shut up Avon." and a firm elbow to his side.

This hadn't been the first time she had shown Malfoy kindness and had him react to her strangely. More than once their third year when she was just starting to creep out of her shell after being formally introduced to him had she acted on the soft spot in her heart for him. Once after he had received a minor injury by a hippogriff in Care of Magical Creatures, and again when he had been hit by Hermione Granger for a comment he may or may not deserved it for. She had been in the common room when he, Crabbe and Goyle had come running in, Malfoy sporting a large red mark on his face.

"Are you alright?" She had asked, putting down her book and standing from her place studying with Blaise. Draco had stopped in his tracks, looking at her in what she hoped was surprise before sitting on the chair adjacent to them and sulking back into the leather seat. "Fine." He had muttered, shocking both Charlie and Blaise when he hadn't responded with a sarcastic comeback or a sneer. Charlie moved quickly from the room, exiting the common room and returning a short time later with a soaked hand towel she had frozen enough so it wouldn't leak. "Unless you want to go to dinner with a red mark you might want to use that." She said, holding it out to him with a hand on her hip. He took it silently, staring at her for a bit before pressing it to his cheek.

The days after that incident had been full of her catching him looking at her strangely, brow furrowed and quickly looking away when she met his eye. He didn't talk to her again until weeks later, once again his usual sneering self. This time had been similar, after she had given him the small piece of chocolate he hadn't spoken to her at all, their only interacting catching each other's eye in quick glances. The only time they had spoken between then and now was when she had approached him.

"Would you like another?" she had asked later on in Transfiguration, turning around in her seat to lean around Morgan so she could speak to him. He only glanced at her, glancing at Crabbe beside him scratching his head at his textbook before shaking his head slightly. "Not your taste?" she pushed, watching his reaction closely as she flicked her quill between her fingers. "It was fine." He replied, keeping his eyes on his paper. Charlie didn't push any farther, sighing softly as she turned back to her work.

Moira cleared her throat again; Charlie realizing the two of them had been in a long moment of silence that was drawing the eyes of their acquaintances. Breaking the awkwardness was difficult, Malfoy silent and seemingly stuck on his words. Charlie took the situation into her own hands, turning to look back at her potion and smiling to find that it had finally turned from the inky blue to the rolling grey it was meant to be. "See? Sometimes you just have to push it in the right direction and let it happen." She smiled, turning down her fire and leaning back against the table. Again he smirked, perfectly strait and white teeth showing between his lips. "I was wondering if I could borrow your squid ink, Blaise let Parkinson take a bit of ours and she used most of it." he explained as he folded his hands in front of him.

"Are you done with it?" Charlie asked, turning her head over her shoulder to look at Moira. "I suppose." She sighed, her smile giving away her good will as she passed it to her. "It's all yours." Charlie smiled, handing him the net textured bottle. He took it, fingers laying against hers in a way in a way she hoped was as purposeful as it seemed.

The lesson was soon over at the early time, her potion given a check by Snape and her grade recorded. Malfoy returned to her table again as she was putting up her things, placing the bottle on the table quietly. She glanced up to acknowledge him, her gaze meeting a small smile. "Thanks." He said quickly, turning away and gathering his things. She smiled, slinging her bag over her shoulder and following the rest of Slytherin house to their dorms to put away their things.

Moira was fumbling around, taking the wrap she had placed around her curls down and powdering her nose. Charlie slipped on her robes, rolling her eyes as she quickly applied lipstick and pulled her friend away from the mirror before falling in line with the rest of her house behind Professor Snape. Everyone was quiet as they ascended to the courtyard, the only sound murmuring first years at the back of the line and their shoes hitting the stone floor. Charlie fell behind Morgan, keeping herself from stepping on the back of his robes and tugging her own around her tighter when they stepped into the cool evening air. The entire school was clustered around, standing and waiting for the schools to arrive. "You'd think such prestigious schools would be on time." Moira complained, rocking impatiently on her heels and looking around. "France and Bulgaria are a bit away, calm down." Lilona sighed, leaning against the wall as she twirled her braids. "It's polite to be on time." "There wasn't even a set time." Charlie sighed, shaking her head at her friends before going back to daydreaming as she stared at the sky.

"Aha! Unless I am very much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!" Dumbledore announced, all students immediately standing on their toes to look around for whatever their headmaster was seeing. "I don't know what he's on about." Moira muttered, angrily shoving her elbow into the back of a first year Slytherin that fell into her looking around excitedly. "Someone's having a bad day." Lilona laughed, only smiling wider when the well coifed girl glared daggers at her. "There!" Charlie smiled as she heard the resident ex-Beauxbatons student call out, probably due to annoyance by how loud she was. Trying and failing to get a look at her singular Gryffindor friend, Charlie wondered what the older girl was thinking right now.

"What the bloody hell is it?" "Moira, language!" Charlie joked, earning a good smack in the arm for her quip. She loved when Moira's more aggressive side came out, it was extremely entertaining to her and she liked when her friend stopped the completely put together front. Finally looking upwards towards the sky she saw what everyone else was seeing, a great dark splotch on the sky hurtling towards the students at top speed. Finally it landed hard in front of the students, many of them reeling backwards from the impact. "Ouch! Longbotom you clod!" Moira shrieked, shoving the Gryffindor boy off her and dusting off her shoe after he had stepped on it. Charlie didn't hear his apologies, Moira's jump backwards sending her teetering into the person beside her."Sorry, my fault." She said, turning to look at who she had fallen into. "Watch it y-" Draco Malfoy stopped mid insult when he looked up, his face immediately pulling from a sneer to neutral. "You look different." Was all he said, Charlie laughing lightly before shaking her head. "It's called makeup Malfoy, I'm sure you've hear of it and seen it before, even on me." She replied, rolling her eyes and turning around too fast for him to reply to her.

The carriage that had landed in front of them and caused such a ruckus was huge, towering over all of them. The horses were the most impressive to Charlie, large dangerous looking Palomino's with fiery eyes and stomping hooves. The door to the carriage opened, a small boy in blue silk scurrying out and holding the door open. Charlies eyebrows rose into her hairline when who she assumed was the Beauxbatons headmistress stepped out, a tower of a women with slick black hair. "My dear Madame Maxine, welcome to Hogwarts." Dumbledore said, holding a hand out to her and kissing hers when she took it. "Dumbly-dore, I 'ope I find you well?" Charlie couldn't help but snort at her accent, knowing that poor Josie had sounded similar when she had first arrived. The row of students that exited the carriage behind her drew her attention, brow rising at the shivering teenagers.

"They seem pleasant." Sarcasm leaked from her words. The Beauxbatons students looked at Hogwarts with hesitation and slight distaste, shivering in their light clothing and clutching scarves around them. "They're beautiful." Moira muttered to herself, causing Charlie to turn and look at her. Despite the compliment, she was looking at them with ill intent. Envy was etched into her deep eyes, her jaw tightening as they walked past them into the school. "Calm down, you're prettier than them." "Wouldn't bet on that so quickly." Charlie's eyes almost met the inside of her skull as she turned on Lilona, rolling back into place to glare at her. "This should be fun." Moira said through clenched teeth, turning back towards the front to wait on Durmstrang's arrival.


	5. Never Seemed So Tense, Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ((I'm sorry updates on everything have been so far apart, I've been having a lot of stuff happen lately both good and bad. I'm very sorry. This got a chapter first because I was in the mood to write Charlie and Draco, but the twins will be getting a chapter in my other fanfiction soon I promise. Thank you guys so much, I appreciate everything you all do. Tell me what you think!))

“Come on.” Moira was muttering, the heels of her shiny shoes clacking against the stone as she impatiently shifted from one foot to another. “Calm down, the rugged men will be here soon.” Charlie joked, ducking away from the hand that came her way with a laugh. “That your type then Camson?” Charlie turned to the voice behind her, spying Draco leaning against the wall. “That’s none of your business Malfoy.” She sighed, placing a hand on her hip and watching as he flicked blonde hair out of his face. “So you two will be stalking the competition.” He continued, stepping off the wall as Moira turned her head when she realized she was being included in his taunting. “Competition?” Lilona questioned. 

“He means for himself.” Charlie interjected, even though she very well knew of what he was actually talking about. “What’s wrong Draco? Worried your band of female followers will be distracted by our foreign friends?” Charlie drawled, stepping towards him with a small smile when the tables turned in her favor. “With girls like the ones from Beauxbatons it should be you lot who are the ones worrying.” “Already picked out your next prey then? What has Pansy already lost interest?” Moira laughed beside her, Charlie’s eyes darting to meet hers with a smile. “You know Camson, my father-“ “Oh, here we go.” “-already has ties with Durmstrang.” Malfoy continued, ignoring her rolling eyes and comment. “If you asked nicely I could possibly introduce you to some students, to help with you finding someone for once.”

Charlie stared at him for a moment, shocked at how low he had attempted to hit, yet not shocked at all. It was Malfoy after all. “Malfoy, back o-“ Charlie cut Blaise off before he could finish, holding her hand up as she stared him down. Surely a thousand things were flashing through her eyes; she knew they were from how he was watching her. Grey eyes were locked onto her, only darting to watch her brow and lips as they moved slightly with her emotions. First anger that he would stoop so low, hurt that people thought about that aspect of her, sadness that he thought that of her, and finally amusement when an idea came to her. If he was going to try and push her, she was going to push back.  
“I don’t need help finding people that like me, Draco.” She said slowly, dropping her voice and watching him as she stepped forward as she spoke. She waited, looking up at him with a raised brow. His raised one back, and she could smell the mint on his breath as he spoke, taking a step closer to her. “You don’t?” He asked, and Charlie felt herself falter, stepping back on her heel as she lost balance. This wasn’t working out how she wanted. Chills went down her back as she looked at him, feeling the harshness from her face falling. It was silent for a moment, the only sound the dull roar of the students around them and the waves of the lake. “No, I don’t. You’ll see that soon enough.” she said shortly, feeling Moira’s hand on her wrist and catching Blaise’s eye as she glanced over Malfoy’s shoulder. Lee Jordan’s booming voice caused them all to jump, effectively ending the stare off between the two Slytherin students.

“The lake!” Moira almost pulled Charlie’s arm out of her socket as she pulled her away from Malfoy. “Someone is bold.” She hissed, smirking at her before turning towards the water. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “We’ll talk about this later.” All eyes turned towards the mast that was now rising out of the water, Moira standing on her toes to see over the students in front of her. The next time Charlie turned around she was being held up by Morgan, sitting on the crook of his arm like a doll so she could see over the crowd with his hand holding her steady by the waist. “You better not let Snape see you.” She laughed before turning back around. Soon enough the ship’s anchors hit the water, and Moira’s feet hit the floor again. . “Look at them. All brawn, no brains.” Lilona scoffed, watching the students walking towards Hogwarts as she stepped beside Moira. “They’re huge.” The perfectly polished girl cooed. “Someone’s mind is in the gutter.” Lilona commented into the silence as Morgan doubled over, shaking silently as he laughed. “You know I didn’t mean that!” Moira cried, covering her mouth as the crowd went silent.

“Dumbledore!” “Move over.” Charlie shifted with the rest of the Slytherin’s around her as Draco nudged his way to the front, hair obviously re-straitened to look presentable. “Go get him tiger.” Charlie muttered, more to herself than anyone around her. Blaise snorted next to her, unnoticed until now as she turned to smile up at him. “As much as I disapprove, you two are very amusing.” He said quietly, smiling smugly as his cousin shook her head at him. 

“Dear old Hogwarts-“ Charlie tuned back into the conversation in front of them as the new face next to their headmaster started to speak. “So if that’s Karkaroff, then that must be-“ Moira was muttering. “Viktor, come along, into the warmth…you don’t mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold.” “Morgana, that’s Viktor Krum.” Moira almost squealed behind her manicure, trying in vain to get a better glimpse. She was cut off when they were directed to the great hall, fluffing her hair and shuffling through her pockets as they slowly walked. Eventually she came to a full stop, Charlie sighing loudly as she huffed. “I can’t believe I forgot my lipstick!” “What you’re wearing hasn’t even worn off.” Lilona comforted, trying to pull her along.  
Catching the tuft of flipped chestnut that was Josie Desmarias, Charlie caught her eye and smiled at the older girl before rolling her eyes dramatically in reference to Moira so she smiled. Eventually they made their way to the Great Hall, settling themselves at their table and watching as the new arrivals made their places. “I don’t know who looks more like a pig with their noses up so high, Parkinson or half of these Beauxbatons girls.” Moira was muttering, watching the new powder blue arrivals look around the hall with disdain. “Let’s make it a tie and call it Malfoy.” Charlie joked, watching as he sat down a few seats down.

Her arm was sure to have bruises when Moira hit her, excitedly watching as the Durmstrang students sat at their table, lining up across from them with Viktor Krum right in Malfoy’s line of site. “I’ve never hated that snake more.” Moira sighed, watching as Krum leaned forward to listen to what was being said to him, Malfoy looking very pleased with as he laid out charm thick enough to mimic his father’s. Charlie had no interest in the Quidditch star, instead glancing around her at the rest of Durmstrang students at their table. Many of them were removing their thick furs, most of them not much smaller without the bulky fabric, as they looked around the great hall. “Is it always like this?” One across from Lilona asked, staring up at the starry ceiling with wide bourbon eyes. He was smaller than the rest of them, perhaps younger. “Not always, it changes sometimes.” Lilona answered. “Changes?” “If it’s raining outside, it will show rain inside. If it’s snowing, there’s snow.” Moira clarified, smiling gently and leaning forward as she spoke. 

“I don’t know who’s charm is quicker, hers or Malfoys.” Avon muttered as he sat next to Charlie. “He is attractive, I’ll agree with that. I’d be chatting him up too.” “Who, Krum or the boy talking to Moira.” Charlie joked, earning a sharp laugh as they glanced between the two Bulgarians. “Both.” Charlie laughed loudly covering her mouth when people turned her way, and hiding her face. “I swore Malfoy has gloated before that his father knew Karkaroff.” Avon said softly, propping his chin on his palm as he watched the Slytherin prince down the table from them. Charlie could only nod, following his gaze as she watched them speak. 

“I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourself at home!” Dumbledore called, drawing Charlies divided attention towards him as the tables filled with food of all kinds. “This is new.” Avon said in amusement before filling his plate, Charlie following suit. About halfway through her dinner she caught the eye of the boy sitting a bit down from her, raising a brow as he smiled politely. “Could you pass that?” he asked, accent thick as the hair on his head. Following his gesture to the bowl of potatoes in front of her, Charlie handed them to him. “Everything is so big here.” He commented, gesturing to the hall around them. “Look who’s talking.” She joked back. He laughed, loudly enough to turn heads. Charlie couldn’t help but smile at the dimples that appeared in his cheeks. Taking a closer look at him, she guessed he was attractive in a rustic way. 

“You’re very funny.” He smiled. “What’s your name?” The question held in the air for a moment, Charlie looking at him for a second before answering. “Charlie.” She felt Moira besides her leaning into the conversation. “My name is Teodor.” “Nice to meet you.” Moira was now leaning into her shoulder, obviously interested. “This is Moira, she’s my friend.” “Pleased to meet you.” The red head chimed in, leaning into the conversation and leaving the boy she had been talking to behind. Obviously she wasn’t interested in the conversation he was having with his friends, and honestly Charlie thought Teodor was more attractive anyway. 

“Are you two entering?” He asked, nodding towards the front of the hall. “Into the tournament, no.” Charlie answered simply, sipping out of her goblet. “Sadly we’re too young.” Moira added. “You joke.” They shook their heads.“Perhaps for the better.” “What do you mean?” Moira’s voice dropped from her polite tone, irritation sharpening her words. Charlie couldn’t help but smile, leaning with interest to watch her. “You’re so delicate; it would be hard to believe you could do such dangerous things.” Teodor obviously picked up that he had hit a nerve, placing down his fork and giving her his full attention. 

“You’d be surprised.” Moira said back, quirking painted lips at him before sipping her drink and placing the newly appeared deserts on her plate. Once again Charlie took herself out of conversation, letting Moira go on flirting on her own. “Someone’s staring at you. Though I would be too if a Camson had almost hate-snogged me in front of all of Slytherin house.” Avon muttered into her ear, causing her head to turn sharply as she knocked him in the side. “I did not, shut up.” “Might as well have, you two are getting to the point of being so bold.” Charlie chanced a glance around him, catching Malfoy turn his head away. It was hard to tell if he was watching her or just talking to the Quidditch star across from him. “He is not.” “Just wait, go back to talking. Lay it on thick.”

Sitting up straight, she leaned back into the conversation now going on between Moira, Lilona, and the two boys they had conversed with earlier. “All of us hope to get picked, it would be an honor.” Teodor was saying, the other boy nodding with him. “Of course, it’s a shame so many of us at Hogwarts are too young to enter.” Moira replied. “It would be no use anyway, he’s sure to win. Look at him.” Charlie said, smiling as his chest swelled up with pride. “I’m not sure what you are talking about.” He said, obviously pushing her for more compliments. “Not many boys at Hogwarts look like you.” Moira added, sending a glance Charlie’s way. “Obviously, look around. The closest thing we’ve got is those two.” Charlie gestured towards Crab and Goyle, sitting on either side of Malfoy engrossed in Krum across from them. A smile crept onto her lips when she noticed Malfoy had stopped talking, and instead was staring at a spot on the wall between her group and his. “And those two haven’t any brain at all.” “Not much of a face either, so you’re really a treat for Hogwarts.” Charlie added, flipping her bangs out of her face for good measure. “You flatter me.” “Look.” Avon said casually, not even looking up from cutting a new slice of cake.“That’s the point.” Moira was saying, gently placing blood red nails on Teodor’s arm from across the table as Charlie feigned reaching for pastries to look at Malfoy.

Cold grey eyes were staring at her, his jaw tight. She felt extremely proud of herself for making him this angry, if it was in fact her doing. Smiling slightly his way she placed a pastry on her plate and turned to Avon. “How long has he been doing that?” “He’s been glancing this way since you first started talking to him. You could have laid that on thicker by the way.” He smirked, finishing his plate and looking at her fully. “Well I’m sorry I’m not exactly well versed in flirting with everyone.” She said, sarcasm dripping from her words. “Are you implying that I’m a flirt?” “Yes.” She said bluntly, earning a snort back. “You’re a flirt too you know, you just flirt in a strange way.” “Like what?” Avon gave her a look before rolling his eyes, but he didn’t get a chance to speak. Something was happening at the front of the Great Hall.


	6. Call It Passive Or Aggressive

“The moment has come. The Triwizard Tournament is about to start.” Dumbledore began. “I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket-“ “Casket?” “Hopefully it’s a dead body.” Avon joked to Moira’s question, earning a sharp glare. “-just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr. Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation-“ “Isn’t that your mother’s boss?” Moira asked quietly, earning a nod from Charlie. “-and Mr. Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports.” Dumbledore continued. “-and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways… their magical prowess-their daring-their powers of deduction- and of course, their ability to cope with danger.” She could feel Moira leaning into her back, listening intently. Glancing behind her she noticed most of everyone was intent on what was being said, all Durmstrang eyes glued to their headmaster.

The only person beside Charlie who seemed to not care for what was being said was Avon, who was staring idly down the table from them. The hall was silent, it didn’t even seem like anyone was breathing. Looking in the direction Avon was Charlie noticed her brother was even captivated, fresh bruises on his cheek and jaw hidden as his hair swung forward as he leaned around Ailisa. “As you know, three champions compete in the tournament, one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. They champions will be chosen by an imperial selector; the Goblet of Fire.” “Can this get any more dramatic?” Avon muttered, flicking his braid over his shoulder. “Why don’t you try to enter, surely you can snake your way around the rules. You’d fit right in.” “Shut up.” Charlie tried not to laugh, patting his shoulder good naturedly as she continued to listen.

Her interest was sparked as what she assumed was the cup was pulled out of the casket, and it was raised again when the plain exterior came into her view. It wasn’t what she expected, but the dancing blue rolling around the rim caught her eye. “Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet. Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it was judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete.” She noticed Teodor mutter something to his comrades, breaking her concentration enough to let her eyes dart around the room. Her brother was still intent, Alisa was smiling softly to herself, Blaise was staring coolly off into the distance and ignoring what was going on around him. Finally her eyes landed on Malfoy, his profile as relaxed as she’d seen it all day as he listened unusually close to what Dumbledore had to say. 

“To ensure no underage students yields to temptation, I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line. Finally, I wish to impress upon any of you wishing to compete that this tournament is not to be entered into lightly. Once a champion has been selected by the Goblet of Fire, he or she is obliged to see the tournament through to the end. The placing of your name in the goblet constitutes a binding, magical contract. There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all.” 

Charlie didn’t get up as fast as some, settling with letting Moira lead the way and turning around when her friends stood. “What now?” Lilona asked. “Girls meeting in our dorm, as soon as everyone is changed for the night. Morgan we’ll update you in the morning.” “Alright boss.” Moira glared at Charlie, flipping her hair over her shoulders and turning to the Durmstrang students. They were waiting dutifully for their headmaster, watching as Karkaroff walked their way. Charlie moved to leave with the rest of her friends, slow going with the number of students now in the hall. “What the hell is taking so long?” Avon sighed from beside Charlie. “Something to do with Potter, as usual.” Lilona said over her shoulder, shifting as the group became more crowded. 

They made it out after some pushing, following the rest of Slytherin house down to the dungeons to get ready for bed. Charlie stood by the fireplace to wait for her friends that had gotten separated, Moira having stopped to chat with her new Durmstrang friends before they departed. Other students threw themselves onto the couches and chairs around her, disappeared to their dorms, or stood around chatting excitedly. It wasn’t long before Moira appeared, smiling widely as she glided towards Charlie. “Sorry, I thought you would have gone ahead.” She said simply, tilting her head so her curls bounced. “It’s fine, I don’t mind waiting.” The two girls turned towards their dorm, Moira swiftly walking in front of Charlie. Noticing a familiar head of white blonde hair settled into a chair between her and her dorms, Charlie faltered nervously before shaking her head at herself. She stood up straighter as she began to walk again, hips swinging as she walked confidently forward. 

“Good night Malfoy.” She said simply, turning her head to smile slightly at him as she walked by. He didn’t answer, sneering slightly in her direction and hardly glancing at her in response. Charlie didn’t know if she should be proud or angry of his reaction, but she didn’t have time to think long. As soon as they entered their dorm Moira was bustling about to get ready for bed. Shortly after Charlie had changed into her pajamas, Lilona appeared through the doorway and sat herself on Moira’s well-made bed. Bags of sweets appeared from under her bed, set between the three of them. With a flourish of her ruffled white night gown Moira tucked the last of her curls under her head wrap as she sat.   
“Alright, we need to talk.” She started, turning to Charlie, who had been finishing pulling her hair back into a bun. “What is it?” She asked as she tugged the long dark sleeves of her oversized shirt over her palms. “You and Malfoy.” Lilona answered. The bag of lollipops in front of Charlie rustled as she dived into it, avoiding their gazes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Oh please, you two are giving me whiplash you go back and forth so much.” Charlie looked up at Moira harshly, scowling. “You’re getting whiplash? He’s driving me up a wall!” Both of the other girls grinned widely, looking at her expectantly. Charlie caved, tearing apart the candy wrapper before popping a piece into her mouth. “Oh fine, what? What do you want me to say?” “What is going on between you two?” “I don’t know, I try and be civil with him, I help him with classwork, I give him candy to try and make him feel like someone cares. He’s nice to me for a class period before turning around and teasing me hours later. I just play along with it.” She rambled, gesturing widely with her lollipop before putting it back in her mouth.

“I can’t even tell if you like him or hate him most of the time.” Lilona sighed. “Speaking of which, I want to hear it honestly. How do you feel about Malfoy? And what in the world were you doing at dinner with those Durmstrang boys? I was afraid you were trying to get in my way.” “Moira no one would dare getting in your way.” Charlie laughed. “So what were you doing?” Sighing loudly Charlie ran her fingers through her bangs before looking at her best friend. “I was trying to make him jealous. Avon noticed him looking at me when I started talking to them.” “You didn’t do a half bad job, you convinced me.” Moira pat her hand as Charlie rolled her eyes. “So…” Lilona urged. “So what?” “How do you feel about Malfoy, honestly, bluntly and truly?” Moira finished. 

She sighed heavy enough to deflate her completely, biting down on her candy before dragging the stick between her teeth. “Everyone already knows, we just had this conversation.” Charlies attempt to get her out of the topic failed as they sat in silence. “Fine.” She shifted, glancing towards the doorway before she kept talking. “I really like him; I have for a long time. And not just because he’s absolutely gorgeous, which he bloody is-“ Moira nodded, agreeing with her. “I enjoy his attitude; I like him as a person.” “He’s awful.” Lilona sighed, shaking her head. “He’s not, I mean he is but- he’s just…I don’t know. I think Malfoy just has a lot going on that makes him act like he does. But I like it, I like the snarky comments, I like his wit, I like his charm when he has it, I like his temper. He’s extremely intelligent, and not just in school work. Malfoy knows how to get what he wants.” “Maybe not everything.” Moira muttered, sighing before patting Charlie’s arm. 

“I think it’s adorable you’re so head over heels for you. We just want you to be careful with what you get yourself into.” “I’m fine.” Charlie replied sharply, pulling her knees to her chest as an awkward silence fell over the room. “Well are you going to tell her?” Lilona said after a while, head turned in Moira’s direction. “Tell me what?” Charlie pushed, narrowing her eyes at the red head. “I don’t think it’s the best time-“ “Nonsense it’s the best opportunity you’ve had, you just want to keep the secret for leverage.” Moira shut her mouth in a hard line, full lips bare as she scowled. “Is someone going to tell me?” Charlie asked, obviously becoming annoyed. “There is a rumor, its source is yet to be found, but there is a rumor going on concerning you and Malfoy.”

Charlie stared at Moira, a bit shocked at what she was saying. “Well what the hell is it?!” She cried after a moment of silence, Lilona crumpling with silent laughter. Moira still said nothing, mouth opened slightly as she seemed to battle with whether she wanted to tell her or not. “Moira Mordred I swear on everything that is good I will make your life a living hell if you don’t tell me.” Charlie threatened. “Fine, I’ll tell you. I overheard it this morning, after potions, two girls were talking outside the library. It was a girl in our class, and uhm-oh dear what is her name-that awful girl who was trying to get Blaise last year…” “Seraphina? She hates me.” Charlie answered. “Anyone would if you tore out a chunk of their hair.” Lilona added, sharing a smile with her. “Yes her, they were talking and I couldn’t help but overhear-“ “You were ease dropping.” “Lilona, hush. They were talking and I heard your name, so of course being the good friend I am I listened.”

Charlie rolled her eyes, waiting for her to finish. “Apparently, there is a rumor going around that-well I don’t know how true this is-“ “Moira.” “There’s a rumor that Malfoy is interested.” Charlie was stunned. “You’re joking.” “I’m not. I promise.” “That absolutely cannot be true.” “Who knows.” The three were silent for a while, Lilona finally sighing and standing. “Well there’s the news, do with it as you will, good night.” She swiftly walked towards the door, shutting it quietly behind her. Moira waited until the padding of her feet faded away to speak. “Do you want me to find out if it’s true?” Charlie sighed loudly. “Maybe, let me test the waters first.” “Alright, just tell me when dear.” Nodding, Charlie got up from Moira’s bed and moved to her own. The lights were dimmed soon after, green eyes staring at the ceiling late into the night.


	7. Telling People Things That You Shouldn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ((I'm sorry for updating this so much not really but this has really been flowing well with me. If you like this, please leave me a review. I would like this fic to get as popular or loved as my other, and I really love Charlie so so much. I do say you should read both, because they tie in VERY closely towards the end. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Please review, fav, follow if you like it!))

The next morning was alive with excitement, the entire castle was bustling, and Charlie had hardly slept at all. She had lain in bed wide awake for hours, fallen asleep for an hour or so before waking up again. Silently she had dressed in the early hours of the morning, packing her bag for the day and sneaking out of her dorm and to the common room to wait for the day to start. She supposed it was about seven when she heard movement from the dorms, her nose still in her potions book as she read ahead for the next class period. It wasn’t until a singular set of footsteps entered the room that she glanced up, watching her cousin come through the boy’s dormitory entrance before he stopped upon noticing her.

“What the hell are you doing up?” “Good morning Blaise.” She replied before returning to her book. He interrupted her, sitting next to her on the leather couch, jostling her gently as he moved. “What is it?” She asked as she marked her place and closed her book. “Did you sleep? It’s a Saturday; no one is ever up this early.” He asked. “Blaise Zambini, are you caring about someone other than yourself for once?” Charlie asked in false shock, earning a glare. “It is far too early in the morning for your humor.” She laughed, turning in her seat. “Poor Blaise, who put spiders in your bed this morning?” “This is exactly why I don’t go near Malfoy before lunch.” Her interest was sparked. “Why?” “Because you two are a headache. One of you is bad enough.” “Are you comparing me to Malfoy?” “Who isn’t?”

Charlie was stunned, staring at Blaise for a moment. “Wait, what have you heard?” He sighed loudly, shaking his head before attempting to get up. “Blaise, if you don’t tell me I will spread word that you want Seraphina back and set Moira on you to get this information. You know both of them are far worse than I am.” She grinned as he sat back down, turning towards him and tucking her legs under her. “Fine. What do you want?” “I want to know what you’ve heard concerning me and Malfoy.” Blaise sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I don’t like gossip-“ “Oh come off it, you love a good bit of trouble.” Charlie interrupted, watching as he tried to keep himself from grinning.

“I’m sure your little group of terrors has told you by now, but there’s word spreading that Malfoy has a thing for you. I heard it from Parkinson, she threw a fit.” “Of course.” “I’ve also heard word spreading that you have a thing for Malfoy.” He looked at her sharply, effectively shutting her up. “Parkinson hasn’t heard that one; you’d be poisoned by now. I know you like him, so stop blushing.” Charlie smiled, shaking her head. “How long as that one been going around?” “Just this year, why?” Blaise paused. “Wait, how long have you liked that scum?” “Since second year.” “Merlin...” They shared a safe silence, shaking their heads at each other. “What about the other one, about him liking me? Moira won’t say much until she can find the whole truth, but I don’t mind a rumor or two.” “Just recently, Goyle let it slip in front of Parkinson the other night while we were waiting for Malfoy. I was ready to watch her rip his throat out.” Blaise chuckled.

Charlie crumpled into giggles. “Oh, I would pay to see that.” Blaise cleared his throat, rubbing his hands together as he stared into the fire she had lit hours ago. “The rumor is basically that you two are interested in each other, and that you would be a terrible pair.” “What does that mean?” “Well, by how you two taunt each other, it’s not completely unreasonable to question how little space would be between you two if you acted like you liked each other.” She went red, the flush working its way to her ears. “Has he hea-“ “Not from what I can tell, he doesn’t talk about you any different than usual.” “He talks about me?” Blaise smirked, looking towards the dorms as students began to walk on. “Did I say that?” “Blaise.” Charlie said sternly.

Blaise stood, dusting off his pants and shoving his hands into his pockets. “All I will say is, you really pissed him off last night.” “That isn’t fair.” “What the hell are you two doing down here so early?” Both of them turned their heads as Malfoy’s voice spoke from the boy’s dorms, hands shoved lazily in his pockets. “Good talk.” Blaise said as he pat her head, messing up her hair as he walked away. “Well?” Malfoy asked again. Charlie looked him over once, slipping her bag over her shoulder. “Good morning Malfoy.” She said, standing up and running her fingers through her hair. A smiled tugged at her lips as she heard him scoff, glancing in his direction.

“You’re never down this early Camson.” She stopped mid-turn, looking at him questioningly. “I couldn’t sleep; I’ve been down here for hours.” Charlie replied, taking a step towards the door. It didn’t take long for her to realize he was following her, footsteps echoing behind her. “What do you want Malfoy?” “I’m making sure you don’t wander off somewhere you’re not supposed to.” “Like where?” “Oh, I don’t know, perhaps to fool around with one of those Durmstrang brutes you were all over last night. Some class you’ve got there, throwing yourself at them on their first night here.” She turned on him so fast he almost ran into her, stopping a foot short.

“Why is that any of your business Malfoy?” She asked, perhaps a bit louder than needed. They were drawing looks already from the scarce few that were up early. “I just think it’s highly inappropriate.” “Says the boy who was trying to cozy up to Viktor Krum the moment he laid eyes on him.” “That is not the same th-“ “How is it any different, Draco?” She asked calmly, crossing her arms in front of her chest and staring him dead in the eye. He looked her over, puffing out his chest and looking down his long nose at her. “Because I’m not trying to fool around with the first person who shows interest.” “Oh really, so Parkinson is just brilliant at conversation.” Charlie felt the knife go into her chest at his words, but tried her hardest to hide it with her comeback. She wasn’t letting him win.

“Do you really think th-“ “Everyone thinks that Malfoy, I’m sure even Parkison thinks that.” He stared at her, seemingly stuck on how to reply. “That’s different.” He finally settled on saying, his voice quieter than before. “How is that different, please enlighten me.” Charlie’s resolve was faltering, his gaze softening as he glanced her over. “I know her and her family. She’s not someone I would be just flirting with because I like how they look, if that was true.” “Why do you care who I flirt with, we’re not even friends.” He was silent for a moment before he answered, clearing his throat before speaking again. “It reflects badly on Slytherin.”

Charlie couldn’t help but laugh, shaking her head at how ridiculous that sounded, especially coming from him. “Well you don’t have to worry about that Malfoy, he’s not my type.” Malfoy’s brow raised, Charlie taking that as her cue to leave and taking a step back so she could walk past him. “Where are you going? Breakfast isn’t for another half hour.” His voice called behind her, black hair flipping as she turned to reply over her shoulder. “I’m going for a walk, or does that reflect badly on Slytherin as well?” When he said nothing more she continued, stepping out into the cool morning air.

Charlie liked to walk around the grounds in the mornings where she couldn’t sleep, it helped wake her up enough to go through the day without murdering someone. It was extremely gloomy, the weather reminding Charlie that today was Halloween. It didn’t take her long to take her usual walk, ending her up at the Great Hall. Charlie smiled at the bats circling the ceiling, breathing in the smell of burning candles. It was still early, most Saturday breakfasts usually taken late, but a few people were scattered about. She didn’t see any of her close friends, knowing Moira slept in every single weekend to catch up on “beauty sleep” and that Lilona liked to drink tea with her sister while they practiced readings. The only people Charlie knew that she wanted to be in close contact with were her cousin, her brother, and Avon, all three of which were seated directly next to a solo Malfoy.

Sighing she gathered herself and sat down across from her brother, setting her bag between her and Malfoy. “Have the trolls not woken yet?” She asked casually, glancing at Malfoy as she spoke. It surprised her when she caught his small smile, turning to her brother quickly. “Any news on how many people have put their name in the cup?” She knew Bleddyn was interested, probably stalking around all morning watching. “Durmstrang already did, I haven’t seen many Hogwarts students. I’d be the first to have my name in.” He replied, laying his head on his arm as it stretched across the table. Charlie swat his hand, the younger Camson sitting up suddenly.

“Don’t be rude.” “There’s no one here!” “I’m here.” Bleddyn rolled his eyes, sitting up to finish his eggs. “Listen to your mother.” Avon smirked, earning a hard smack in the arm from the shorter blonde. “Be nice to your father dear.” Charlie added, hearing Malfoy chuckle beside her. Bleddyn’s loud groan of frustration turned heads as he swung his legs around the bench, almost hitting a first year due to their length and stood up. “Go to your room, you’re being awfully disrespectful.” Avon added. “Shut up!” Bleddyn yelled behind him as he walked off, slinging his bag over his shoulder and weaving around the students milling about. Charlie fell into a fit of giggles, covering her mouth as she laughed.

“He’s so irritable.” “Probably for good reason.” Avon sighed, pushing his plate away from him. “Why?” “I pissed him off this morning.” Was all he said before he pulled out a very thick leather book, placing it on the table as he begun to read and ended the conversation. “Since when do you have a brother?” All heads turned as Malfoy spoke up beside her, Charlie’s brow rising at the innocent question. “March 22nd, 1981.” She replied shortly. She smiled when he rolled his eyes, taking her usual glee from annoying him. She sipped her juice as more students filtered into the hall. “Since when are you two friends?” Charlie shot Avon a glare, not answering him and leaving the table in silence.

“Well?” “Avon, shut up.” Charlie finally answered, spreading jam on her toast. “It’s an innocent question.” “We’re not, are we Malfoy?” she decided to turn this onto him, feeling him deflate beside her with a sigh. “I can hardly tolerate you as a classmate.” “Really? You two talk enough, seems like you would avoid someone if you actually hated them.” Avon continued, Charlie trying her hardest not to openly glare at him. “I don’t know, Malfoy is on Potter’s case enough.” Blaise added, grinning as he joined in on the teasing of his cousin. “That’s cause he gets angry.” “Very true.”

“If you two are quite done I would like to enjoy my breakfast.” Charlie sighed, tossing her bangs out of her face. The table was filling up quickly, the normal breakfast crowd filing in to eat before anything interesting concerning the Goblet of Fire happened. The three fourth years were being quickly surrounded, Avon getting up to leave soon after it started getting crowded. Charlie had barely sighed in relief that the main tormentor had left when people tried to squeeze in on all sides, the excitement from whatever had been going on in the foyer wearing down. Bleddyn returned at a full run as he came back in, throwing himself into the seat beside Charlie and causing her to have to move quickly to give him room.

Throwing her bag into the floor behind her Charlie moved over, perhaps too much, and landed herself right next to Malfoy. He barely glanced her way, shifting slightly as their shoulders pressed against each other and he moved his leg away from hers. “What is your problem?” Charlie snapped at her brother, bright green eyes glinting up at her as he grinned. “The Weasley twins just turned themselves into old men trying to cross that age line, it was brilliant.” He chuckled. “Josie must be having a fit.” She muttered to herself, thinking of the twin’s shared girlfriend.

“They’re ridiculous.” Malfoy scoffed next to her. “You have to admit, they have more guts than any of us.” Charlie argued, biting into her toast. He said nothing back, and Charlie didn’t have the nerve to look at him. He was so close to her, their arms brushing any time either of them moved. Her leg was still tingling where they had touched, the entire back of her neck on fire and creeping to her ears as she hoped it didn’t move to cover her cheeks. Whatever cologne he was wearing was surrounding her, and it was driving her absolutely crazy. “See, you two are closer than you let one.” Blaise chuckled, looking between them. “Shut up.”

Charlie chanced a look at Malfoy when they replied at the same time, catching him doing the same. She felt the goosebumps go down her arms when she met his eye, quickly looking away and going back to eating as the mint from his breath faded away. The rest of breakfast was spent in silence, Charlie standing as soon as she finished eating and picking up her bag. “See you at lunch.” Patting her brother on the shoulder she quickly walked out of the hall, hoping to find her friends as soon as possible.


	8. Land Of Confusion

She didn’t find anyone until right before dinner, finally coming upon the lot of them sitting around the fire when she wandered out from her dorm. “Where the hell have you been?” “I’ve been with the Durmstrang boys all day.” Moira sighed dramatically; smiling to herself while also trying to make it seem like it wasn’t a good time. “I was there too!” Bleddyn chimed in from behind the far end of the couch. “Fun. We have a problem.” Charlie said, ignoring the look Moira always gave when anyone was ignoring her. “What in Merlin’s name is the problem?” 

“Blaise has information that I need you to get, and it’s spreading.” Moira immediately perked up, raising a brow and placing a perfect manicure on her knees. “Tell me, now.” “It’s obvious isn’t it, it’s about Malfoy or else she wouldn’t care.” Lilona sighed from her book, barely turning her head towards Moira. Charlie felt her eye twitch; looking around the room to make sure no one was listening to their conversation. “Would you please shut the fuck up?” 

Sitting next to Moira, Charlie attempted to keep their conversation as private as possible. “Pansy knows the rumor that Draco might like me, the terrible tactless two trolls let it slip in front of her.” “Better watch your back now.” Lilona interrupted again. Charlie wanted to shove the heel of her shoe into her ear. “Blaise said there’s a rumor going around to rival the other; that I like Malfoy. I don’t know if Mafoy has heard that one, or the first one for that matter, but Blaise is being an ass about the lot of it. He’s trying to get under my skin, and he seems to be using it to mess with Malfoy too. Avon has joined in as well, but that’s most likely just because he enjoys watching people get angry. There’s something Blaise is not telling me completely, which isn’t a surprise, but apparently I’m a topic of Malfoy’s conversation with his little clique of pricks.”

Moira only smiled as Charlie stopped, the dark haired girl confused at her lack of excitement. “Well? What do you want me to do about it?” Moira replied. Staring at her in confusion, suspicion formed in the back of Charlie’s mind. “Moira,” Charlie started, looking the girl dead in the eye. “What are you not telling me?” She almost smacked her when Moira’s grin widened, the other girl not even flinching under Charlie’s glare. “Moira, tell me.” She breathed out hard through her nose. “Now.”

“I already knew there was a rumor spreading that you liked Malfoy, and as for Blaise not telling you what he may know, I will take care of that.” Moira simply answered. It was obvious now; Moira had done something Charlie was not going to be happy about. “Moira, what the hell did you do?” Rolling her eyes at the tone of Charlie’s voice, stiff and angry, the proper girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before continuing. 

“I’m who started the rumor, even though it is not a rumor but we’ll continue to call it that, that you like Malfoy.”  
“You WHAT?”

Moira rolled her eyes shaking her head at the outburst. “You heard me, I started the rumor.” Charlie wanted to throttle her, wanted to press the chipped nail polish of her fingernails into her neck and strangle the pride right out of her best friend. Before she could do any of this, Avon wandered into the room with a shit eating grin bigger than she’d ever seen on him before. 

“So, I heard Malfoy is giving you shit about talking to other men.” He said as he threw himself into the couch on Moira’s side, throwing his arm over the arm to land a hit precisely in Bleddyn’s temple. “I swear to-““Calm down, hot head.” Avon laughed, leaning away from the fist the younger Camson sent his way in retaliation before turning to Charlie. “Does high blood pressure run in your family?” Charlie rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to swing at him herself. 

“Wait, what happened?” Moira turned to Charlie sharply, grabbing her arm with pointed nails. “Oh, so you don’t know. How sad, guess you’re not as on top of me as you thought.” Charlie teased, earning a sharp tug. “Tell me now, what happened. I need to know.” “Calm down, it wasn’t anything special. He’s just picking at me for no reason as usual.” “That’s not what I heard.” Both girls turned to Avon, who was smiling smugly to himself. 

“What exactly did you hear?” “I heard that Malfoy is-“ He paused, looking at his fingernails as he pretended to form his thoughts. Charlie couldn’t help but roll her eyes; he was always a drama queen. “-a little annoyed by your flirtation with the Durmstrang boys. He seems jealous, though who should know why.” “That was the point of me talking to those beefed up dolts anyway, to annoy him. It worked, so what?” “It seemed to have worked too well, perhaps because he does have a thing for the loud mouth of Slytherin.”  
Before Charlie could respond to him Moira turned on her, looking her dead in the eye with a sharp glare as she pushed for information. “Now. What happened?” Sighing loudly, Charlie fell back into the couch. “He stalked me out of the common room, grilling me about flirting with those boys. Which was YOUR idea!” She gave Avon a pointed look, continuing when he ignored her for badgering her brother. “He made a comment that implied I would ‘fool around’ with the first person that showed interest, and I went off on him. It was us bickering like we always do!” 

“This is different.” Moira had that wild look in her eye, planning something behind those painted lashes. “He was jealous; actually jealous and not just annoyed by your pestering him. This is wonderful! This is exactly what needed to happen! I knew I made the right choice letting on that you might fancy him.” “Moira, what the hell are you going on about?”   
She grinned widely at Charlie, patting her arm excitedly before standing up. “You’ll see, I can’t tell you or you’ll spoil it. But, don’t for a moment think that I am not the best friend you could have ever asked for.” Charlie yelped as she was suddenly pulled up, the surprisingly strong Moira linking arms with her and straitening both of their clothes. “Just trust me.” Charlie couldn’t help but smile at the joy in her, Moira’s happiness had always been as infectious as it was rare. “Fine, but you’re going to owe me.” “Quite the opposite.” Charlie rolled her eyes as she headed towards the Great Hall, falling into step with the girl beside her who she feared she had far too much trust in. 

As they got to the hall a familiar face caught Charlie’s eye, and she tugged Moira along with her to talk to someone she hadn’t in far too long. She made her way to Gryffindor table to check in with Hogwarts original Beauxbatons guest. Josie Desmarais was wearing makeup to match the girl with her; Charlie smiled at the bright red lipstick that was currently clashing with her eyes. She really was a gorgeous girl; it was too bad that she wasn’t as aware of it as she should be. The least Charlie could do was bring it to attention. “Someone looks nice.” 

Charlie held a laugh as the other girl jumped a bit in her seat at the sudden comment. Josie turned to look up at her, the confused expression on her face brightening a bit as she answered. “Thank you, so do you. You always look so nice.” She turned herself on her seat to face her out of politeness, Charlie having to look down to keep eye contact as she replied. “I try, thank you.” “You don’t need to try, you’re a fucking babe.”

Covering her mouth with her hand, Charlie couldn’t help but laugh. The combination of the odd off-hand comment from the Gryffindor girl sitting with Josie and the latter girls blue eyes going as wide as saucers as she glared at her friend was too much. Catching a glance at Moira standing agape next to her with disgusted judgement in her eyes made it even better. Charlie took a minute to collect herself, laughing into her palms before shaking her head in amusement and looking at the two older girls. 

“I’ll take the compliment.” She finally replied, sticking out her hand towards the stranger after a moment of debating it. “I’m Charlie, Charlie Camson.” “I know.” The girl replied to her introduction, earning another chuckle from Charlie before she turned to the girl who was pulling at her arm impatiently. “This is my best friend Moira Mordred. Apparently we’ve got to be going back to the snobs; I don’t think the socket of my arm can take any more of her tugging.” 

Moira finally uprooted Charlie’s heels from their spot and dragged her to the Slythering table, Charlie shooting the Gryffindors an eye roll and catching a glimpse of the Weasley boys and Lee Jordan sitting across from them. Durmstrang was already seated at their table, and Moira stopped briefly to talk to some of them before continuing down to their regular spot with the rest of the fourth years and finding their quickly disappearing seats.

“Calm down, you’d think I’d set you up with a Gryffindor muggle born.” Charlie shot at Moira, who glared up at her as she sat down next to Morgan. Charlie squeezed herself in between Moira and Lilona, barely noticing Draco seated across from her with his goons on each side and Blaise not far down. She did however notice Parkinson, who turned sharply to glare at her when she spoke and continued to glance heatedly at her as she settled in. “That was very embarrassing; I don’t know why you hang out with such people.”   
Charlie rolled her eyes, looking away from Pansy and turning to Moira. “I don’t hang out with them; I just like to make sure she’s okay. I’ve never even met her friend before, but I like her.” “She’s vile.” “And you’re a prude.” Charlie sighed, turning to load her plate with food as the Halloween feast began. She realized she had barely eaten since breakfast, only eating the last of the scones her father had sent her and Moira for her lunch as she finished up homework. Reaching for a plate of roasted potatoes she knocked hands with another person, looking up from listening to Moira’s conversation with Lilona about the tasks the tournament might include.

The hand, much to her dismay, was attached to Pansy Parkinson. They locked eyes, and Charlie felt her skin crawl as Pansy curled her lip at her. Charlie had no reason to hate the other Slytherin girl, in fact she would probably stick up for her if it was ever needed, but Parkinson never seemed to have liked her. When she tagged along like a shadow with Blaise, she seemed to hate her because she was another girl in the group. Charlie’s break into her personality seemed to fuel Parkinson’s dislike for her even more, even though Charlie had never said a thing to her. She didn’t even join in on calling her a pug, something her classmates said to make fun of Parkinson’s facial structure.

“Sorry, you can have it first.” Charlie said, letting go of the bowl and nudging it with the tips of her fingers towards the squished nosed other girl. Parkinson glanced from her, to the bowl, and then back to make eye contact again before smiling softly to herself. Charlie immediately regretted her manners and wished she had stabbed her with a fork instead. “I don’t want to put on weight. But you take them; obviously you don’t care about that.” Parkinson smiled to herself, pleased with what seemed to be her comment on Charlie’s physical appearance. From the corner of her eye Charlie caught Moira scoff and shoot Parkinson a look meant to kill, but became quickly distracted by someone else.   
“Eat it; you’re starting to look like an underfed penniless half breed with your bones poking out of your skin like that. At least Camson looks like she takes care of herself.”   
The color in Parkinson’s face drained, her mouth falling open as she turned her head to look at who had spoken. Charlie finally got out of her state of shock, glancing on either side of her to find her friends all staring as well, Moira with a small grin. Charlie shared a look with her cousin. Blaise seemed to be deciding whether or not he wanted to comment, utterly annoyed with the situation that had fallen on all of them. 

“I didn’t know you cared so much about my health Draco.” Parkinson finally said, speaking slowly and laying on the charm like she always seemed to do when she addressed him by his name. Malfoy hadn’t even looked up from refilling his goblet, setting down the pitcher with enough force to slosh the contents dangerously close to the rim. He glanced at her, quirking an eyebrow in response before looking away. Charlie felt her muscles tense as his cold eyes met hers, barely breathing as she waited for what would happen next.  
“I don’t.” He began, taking a sip from his drink before looking back at Parkinson with a sneer. “It just makes me sick.” With that he went back to his meal, turning away to casually listen to whatever conversation was being had between Goyle and the Durmstrang students across from him. Parkinson deflated, half-heartedly glaring at Charlie before yanking the potatoes towards her plate. 

Moira nudged Charlie’s side, barely earning a glance at her smug smile from the other girl. Charlie was too busy staring at Malfoy, brow quirked in confusion as she tried to figure out what exactly had just happened. Had Draco Malfoy just stood up for her? And against one of his usual lackeys as well, that was the most confusing part. She didn’t get to wonder for long, snapped out of it by Parkinson shoving the bowl towards her with a loud grind of metal on wood. 

But it stayed in her mind as she continued her meal, not able to fall back into listening to her friends around her. Lost in thought, she finished her meal on muscle memory. She barely realized that she had taken an extra-large serving of her favorite desert as the feast drew to a close and their headmaster got to his feet.


	9. It's Harder To Walk On Your Own

“Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision.”

All heads turned, the hall going silent as everyone listened as to what was going to happen next. Moira almost vibrated with excitement, gripping Charlie’s arm as she leaned forward on the table to be able to see. “I estimate that it requires one more minute.” Slytherin table deflated, Charlie caught Draco rolling his eyes and muttering something obviously nasty to Crabbe and Goyle. Moira sighed loudly and leaned her chin on her palm. “Why the hell is everyone such a drama queen?” Charlie muttered, picking at a chipping corner of her nail polish.

“Because the entire world and its energy is just thriving on making you annoyed Camson.” Avon grinned from down the table with the rest of the 5th years, lounging against the wood lazily. “Well they’re doing a shit job, I’m only mildly irritated.” Avon’s retort was cut off by the room dimming, all of them sitting in semi darkness as they waited. “Spooky.” Lilona muttered, smiling slightly as her head turned to examine the room. The room was illuminated against as the goblet began to spark, Charlie rising in her seat to watch as flame shot up from the brim and left a fluttering piece of parchment behind. “I’m sorry, but I must be mistaken, you seem amused.” Moira gloated into her ear, Charlie barely muttering a “Shut up.” back as her eyes glistened from the red flame. The paper floated into Dumbledore’s waiting hand as the flames cooled back to their original blue.

“The champion for Durmstrang,” the entirety of Slytherin table seemed to surge as the Durmstrang students stiffened in anticipation. Students shared glances, Charlie catching the eyes of her friends, her brother, her cousin and Malfoy as they waited. “-will be Victor Krum.” The table itself seemed to move as the room broke into applause, Charlie clapping along with the rest of them as the infamous Krum stood from his spot and strode to the front of the room. “Well Moira, lucky for you some boys need consoling.” “Quiet! You’ll ruin my plan.” Charlie laughed at her friends reply, shaking her head as she turned back to the front of the room.

As the rumble died, the goblet shifted again. Now that the Durmstrang student had been chosen, the Slytherin table was not as tense as before, but students still were at full attention as another piece of parchment shot into the air surrounded with red flame. “The champion for Beauxbatons, is Fleur Delacour.” All eyes turned to Ravenclaw table as a girl with long silvery hair got to her feet and quickly moved to the front of the room. “Oh god, her, she’s the prettiest one!” Moira sighed, leaning into Charlie’s shoulder.

Tearing her eyes away from the newest Triwizard champion, Charlie looked at her friend. “She’s a definite type, which you aren’t.”“She’s a veela, that’s all that matters.” “How in the world do you know?” “I know everything, and even you were staring just now so don’t act like it’s not obvious.” Charlie blinked at Moira, raising a brow. “Everyone’s staring.” She replied, looking down table and gesturing towards Blaise and Malfoy, who were still watching as she disappeared through the door. She felt a twinge of heat in her chest that bubbled into jealousy as she watched Malfoy’s eyes follow her, the blonde turning to his friends with a comment that made them all grin.

“You were staring, and Mordred you only know she is because I told you. I’m not letting you gloat because I shared my knowledge with you.” Moira glared at Avon, who only grinned back at her before turning to watch as the hall fell silent again. “If you win you owe me half your earnings for convincing you.” Avon turned to the friend next to him, a dark skinned girl with pin straight hair. “Oh please, you were not the one who talked me into putting my name in.” “You actually did it? After all your pretentious babble against it?” Charlie laughed through her hushed tone. “Camson, there are very certain things that can convince anyone of anything, you’ll learn that soon enough.”

Before she could respond the goblet lit up again, sending the last name skyward. “The champion from Hogwarts, is Cedric Diggory.” Hufflepuff exploded, the boy standing and heading towards the front of the room. The rest of Hogwarts was split between excited clapping and halfhearted hands enthusiasm, their applause lasting longer than their guests despite a few broken souls upset that they hadn’t been picked. Finally it died down, and Dumbledore was able to speak again.

“Excellent! Well now we have our three champions. I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real-“ Charlie looked up from her nails when Dumbledore paused, eyes landing directly on the goblet as it turned red for a fourth time. Flames sent another piece of parchment, a final one, out into the air to be caught. The entire room was silent in confusion, watching as the Hogwarts headmaster inspected the writing before announcing the name.

“Harry Potter.”

The entire hall went silent and in an act of unity that Hogwarts students only shared on occasion, especially with Slytherin, every eye turned to look at the Gryffindor table. Moira stood next to her, her heels earning her height to stare Harry Potter down. It was tense enough to choke a person, and Charlie figured that was exactly how their fourth Triwizard champion was feeling. One look down the table at Malfoy and she knew they were all in for a rant later if they stuck around the common room, which they all would to gossip and complain anyway. Tonight was going to fun, that was for sure.

“Who the hell does he think he is?”

“He’s a joke.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“He’s the ‘chosen one’, that’s who he is.” Charlie flipped through her divination book, idly listening to the conversation going on beside her as Blaise and Malfoy bickered with each other and ignored Crabbe and Goyle’s comments. Moira was still probably talking to the Durmstrang boys, a past time Charlie quickly excused herself from to escape to her dorm to fetch her textbooks so she could place herself innocently reading in the midst of the gossip. Avon lounged across the room talking to his older friends, her brother chattering with Ailisa and other third years. All of them seemed to be listening in on Malfoys ranting.

“It’s a joke, he’s not of age and he’ll probably drop out in the first task.” Parkinson added. “Dumbledore and the rest of them are probably patting him on the back, rewarding him for being a cheat.” Charlie glanced at them from under her bangs, just in time to catch Blaise rolling his eyes her way. They shared a small smile before their attention was drawn back to Malfoy as he continued on in disgust.

“Potter, can’t live without attention for five minutes.”

Charlie couldn’t help herself, she laughed. She attempted to hide it behind her hand with a cough, but failed miserably. “What’s so funny, Camson?” Malfoy asked, staring at her from where he stopped his pacing across the rug. “Oh, nothing.” She replied, flipping the page in her book as she flipped her hair out of her eyes in unison. “She’s just lost in her book; we all know Divination is a riot.” Avon called from beside them, looking over his boots to watch the situation unfolding. Charlie had to keep herself from rolling her eyes, instead looking up at the boy that was stalking towards her.

“If you’ve got something to say, say it. You’ve never stopped yourself before.” “That’s a very wrong assumption.” Charlie sighed as she shut her book, placing it on the arm of her chair and looking up at him. “I just think it’s a little amusing that you of all people are critiquing Potter for seeking attention.” He stared at her from his spot above her, his feet barely on the edge of the rug that stopped at the legs of her chair. If her own legs were not tucked under her on the soft leather he would be stepping on her.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Morgan turned from his spot retelling the events of tonight to the mermaids through the glass, Bleddyn and Ailisa looking up from their conversation and Avon sitting up to better watch. Moira had apparently wandered down and was standing near the doorway, watching what was unfolding. Charlie didn’t mind the audience; it was something she was used to with her encounters with Malfoy. What she minded was that he had almost trapped her in her chair, placing himself above her and in perfect position to look down at her.

“What I mean is that you do a very good job of getting attention for yourself, a lot of the time feeding off of Potter to get it.” Charlie said simply. Malfoy glared at her and went a bit red around the ears, and she took the cue to get to her feet. Not bothering to look if she was going to step on him, her shoes met the floor and she rose to a place only slightly below him. Moving half a step back, Malfoy continued to simmer as she crossed her arms and kept talking. “Also, why are we surprised that Potter has gotten himself into trouble again this year. It’s become a part of the curriculum by now, and you’re very aware of it because you get yourself into it somehow every year.” He was turning redder as she spoke, her elbows hitting his arms as he shifted.

“Too bad none of them ended with him being turned into a ferret earlier.”

The color in Malfoy’s face drained, a few students chuckling around them as he cleared his throat and stepped back from her. Charlie watched the embarrassment roll through him, and his nervous glance back at her from the floor sent her over the edge. Her addressing a blatant character trait in him was one thing; picking on him for a traumatic experience was something she was not going to allow.

“Blaise, can you not be a total ass to someone for a few minutes or is that just something you aren’t capable of.”

Malfoy stepped aside as she stared her cousin down in his spot gloating on the couch. “How about I turn you into a rat and hold you above the fireplace, maybe we’ll play kick ball up the staircase with you on the way to breakfast and throw you back down after lunch. We could toss you and a quaffle off the astronomy tower and see what bounces higher.” She realized her volume was climbing, but she really didn’t care. He wasn’t getting away with it, not in front of her. “If you couldn’t take it yourself then you have absolutely no place to speak about it, and you can’t stand anything that knocks the collar of your shirt out of place Blaise.”

Her cousin stared at her open mouthed for a moment before falling back into a glare, opening his mouth for a moment before closing it again. Blaise smirked, straitening his sleeves as he stood and stepped towards her. Charlie was aware of Malfoy glancing between the two of them, as dumbfounded into silence as the rest of Slytherin house. With a proud look down at her and a smirk shot in Malfoy’s direction, Blaise patted her head before speaking. “Well, it looks like the rumors may be true after all.” He strode away after that, disappearing into the boy’s dormitory and leaving Charlie turning ice cold from the staring now directed at her.

When the whispering started it pulled Malfoy out of his shock, the loud and purposeful giggles from Seraphina’s group turning his head towards them. “What is he talking about?” He asked, turning back to Charlie with a raised brow. Moira made a motion from across the room, having made her way to the door to the girl’s dorms. Charlie needed to get out of there, and fast. But for now she could only stare at him for a moment, finally collecting her thoughts when he glanced around again nervously. “I have no idea; he’s probably just being a prick.” She didn’t listen to his argument, turning to pick up her book and tuck it against her chest.

“Don’t worry Draco; I’m sure you’ll think of some grand way to annoy Potter with his own newfound glory.” She said, bravely patting his arm for emphasis before stepping towards Moira to make her escape. She didn’t get far, Malfoy grabbing her arm and stopping her before she could take two steps. Her eyes went to his hand on her arm, and she immediately felt a flush coming through her skin as she looked at him. Cold grey was staring at her, but his eyes weren’t as hard as she had expected them to be.

“I don’t need you to stand up for me; I’m fine on my own.” He said, his voice low enough to match the murmur of students around them. Sighing at his pride, she formed her reply well enough to hopefully hide her feelings. “You do Draco, everyone does.” She began, watching as he scoffed and fell back into regular annoying mask. “Think of it as returning the favor, I’m so guilty that you and your girlfriend had a little spat over me at dinner.” She finished, glancing at Parkinson leaning in to overhear them and stressing the word “girlfriend” as she grinned. He sighed at her reply, releasing her arm and stepping away.

“Good night, Camson.” He replied, and Charlie could swear he was hiding a smile. “Night, Malfoy.” She returned, quickly walking to meet with Moira to escape to the girl’s dorms. “How cute.” Seraphina giggled as she passed, barely earning a look from Charlie. Moira took care of it for her, huffing past the girl with a sly comment. “Nice to see your hair is growing back in.” Seraphina didn’t get to comment, both of the girls swiftly escaping into their dorm as Moira slammed the door.

“Well, this is spiraling into something quicker than I expected.”

“You forget,” Charlie began to reply, tossing her book onto her bed with a sigh. “We’re in Slytherin.”


	10. Rather Waste My Life Pretending

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please comment if you like it!

Charlie didn’t leave her room except for the two meals Moira forced her to the next day; she was getting enough drama from her roommates alone. Moira was in a tizzy from the building drama, pulling her to breakfast despite Charlie’s loud complaining and threats on her life. She had pulled her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck, throwing on an overly large sweater and tights with her flats before trudging up to the Great Hall. She kept her nose in her textbook, barely listening to the conversation around her as she ate her cereal. Everything was irritating to her, the tension from the prior night still sitting under her skin. As soon as Malfoy walked into the hall she stood, grabbing some fruit and disappearing back down to the dungeons with not even a look as she passed him.

Lunch she was forced up again and did the same routine, except this time Malfoy was there when she arrived. The two shared a glance or two, neither of them seeming to know what to do with the situation. Anxiety that he had found out was picking at the back of her brain, so she was watching him carefully. Blaise glared at her when he sat down, so nagging him about it was out of the question. So instead, she trusted Moira to find out information for her. She was much more adept at the art of working the gossip train than Charlie. By dinner she had become paranoid, and Moira couldn’t budge her. Loosing herself in the cheesy romance of a novel she had brought from home she finally shifted her spot from the loneliness of her room to the now empty common room, curling up by the fire.

Her stomach growled as she heard a clatter of students coming into the dungeon after dinner to lounge in their dorms and common room, moving Charlie from her spot as she walked the dungeon halls to the kitchen to see if the elves would give her some food. Still reading as she walked she made her way on muscle memory. Pounding feet behind her caused her to look up, smiling a bit as two sets of red hair ran by her on either side with a quick “Sorry.”

“Tell Josie I said hello.” She called behind her, turning to watch the Weasley twins stumble to a stop and turn to look at her in confusion. Charlie gave a short wave before turning back to her book and continuing on her way to the kitchen. The house elves were kind as usual, letting her have her pick of the leftovers and clearing her a place to sit while she ate. She stayed out of their way, watching them work to clean the kitchen spotless as she had her meal. She placed her own dish on top of the large stack, thanking them before walking back to her room with her nose in her book. No one in the common room bothered her despite it being full; she hoped she was in the clear. She believed she was, until she was walking the hall to her dorm and a grating voice called after her.

“When are you ever going to learn?”

Charlie stopped, closing her book with a snap and turning to look at the girl leaning out of her doorway twirling her curls. Seraphina looked her over with distaste, scoffing at Charlie’s attire before smiling with self-satisfaction. “You’re such a slob; it’s ridiculous that you’re crazy enough to think this will work.”

“What are you going on about?” She knew where this was going. It wasn’t going to end well, and she was going to make sure of it. She needed a good chance to throw all her pent up emotion at someone. Her tension was getting too much for her and Charlie needed to let it out in some way, and Seraphina was just the person who deserved it. Seraphina stepped into the hall, one of her 5th year friends poking her head around the door to watch.

“Your infatuation with Malfoy, it’s pathetic. Do you really think a boy with a pedigree like that would stoop as low as you? A common pureblood, father an out-of-work auror and mother a secretary? Please, you’re not good enough to shine his shoes.” Charlie stared at her with a raised brow, watching the older girl get lost in her taunting. “And the mess of an act you call flirting? No wonder you haven’t gotten a boyfriend, it’s absolutely pathetic. You act like a child.” Seraphina fell to cackling at herself, her friend laughing with her.

“Are you done yet?”

Charlie’s question hung in the air, Seraphina narrowing her eyes. “What’s pathetic is your blind belief in rumors, living your life on the words and gossip of other people is a waste and you should be ashamed of yourself. You waste all talent or intelligence you may have on this shit, on listening to talk to pass it around and taunt those involved.” Seraphina went to respond but Charlie cut her off, stalking forward towards her with a sneer. “You’re a waste of a mind and a mouth. So what if people say I like Malfoy? What if I did? You chased my cousin’s tail last year, a boy younger than you, and he dumped you Seraphina. Because you are the one who acts like a child, you believe that bloodline and gossip can further your life, and with a mind like that you’ll most likely fall into a pathetic marriage with a pureblood man with too much money and too much time. He’ll cheat on you with the women you gossip with. You’ll end up alone, sad and drunk off your million galleon wine wishing you would have made something of yourself.”

Seraphina looked like she was going to explode, glaring at Charlie with enough force to kill. Movement down the hall drew Charlie’s eye to see Parkinson peeking around her door, watching with wide eyes as Charlie tore the elder Slytherin to shreds with her words. Flipping her hair from her eyes, Charlie dropped her book to her side, planting her other hand on her hip and smiling with new found confidence. She knew what she was going to do, as reckless as it was; she was done not taking chances. Moira could talk all she wanted. Charlie would take the hands on approach.

“Besides, if what I’m doing is being seen as flirting.” She glanced at Parkinson, her mouth twitching into a grin as she locked eyes with the girl. “At least he’s flirting back.” Charlie turned on her heel as Parkinson’s eyes went wide, Seraphina huffing loudly and slamming her door. As much as Charlie stood by her mantra to always do what is best, no one ever said what was best wasn’t cruel. If Slytherin house wanted action, she was going to give it to them.

In the best outcome, it would benefit her in the end after all.

Monday brought new life, Charlie showering the night before and having Moira work product through her hair and braid it down her back in French braids. When she woke she ruffled them to messy perfection before she tied the ends with black ribbon and pulled her bangs from where they had been tucked so they fell in curls around her face. A skirt with a rolled waistband left skin on her thighs peeking from over top of the black stockings that came over her knees, the edge lined with black lace. Her robes hung open to the cool autumn air, shirt not buttoned to the top and her tie hanging loosely near the peeking skin of her collar bone.

Her shiny black flats clicked on the floor as she walked in stride with her friends to breakfast. They moved as a group, a group of misfit Slytherins, Moira and Charlie leading the way in matching ox blood lipstick. Charlie led the line to their spots at breakfast, the group parting to walk in almost in time around the end of the table as they conquered both sides. Letting her shadowed eyes look over the gossipers that eyed her as she past, heavy lashed hid the echo of apprehension and fear in her as she looked down her nose at them. They want to talk, let them talk. She knew she was someone worth talking about.

Avon caught her eye as she past, quirking a brow at her as he looked her over and broke out into a grin. Morgan and Lilona took their place on the inside row, Charlie and Moira slinging their legs over the bench with their backs to the wall in unison before sitting down. Despite her lack of knowledge as to Charlie’s plans, Moira was feeding off her friend’s new confidence with delight. As she poured her juice a note slid into the edge of her plate, her eyes looking down the table to catch Avon’s dark gaze. He only smiled back, falling into talking with his friends. Looking down at it, she saw the slanted curve of his writing on the front.

“Be obvious.”

Glancing at him again, he shot his gaze down the table for Charlie to follow. Her eyes landed on Malfoy, talking excitedly with his friends over something. Smiling to herself, she plated her food before picking up the note and holding it in front of her chest as she unfolded it. Moira leaned over to read it, and Charlie leaned away to keep her from it as she pulled it to her chest and out of the way of soulful but prying eyes. “Excuse you; I don’t pry into your private written matters.” Charlie laughed, Moira rolling her eyes before going back to drinking her tea.

She looked over the top of the note as she read, smirking behind the paper as she caught Malfoy looking towards her with a scowl. Parkinson had noticed as well and was laying her hands on his arm, leaning in to him to get his attention. Charlie ignored them for now, curious as to what Avon could possibly be pulling her into. She was sure it was much more for his personal agenda than hers. She almost had to tilt the paper to read his massively slanted writing, blowing her hair out of her eyes as she read.

“As amusing as Saturday night was, this could be much more entertaining for the both of us. I have a person of my own I’m trying to lure in. We work well together Camson, and so we should do just that. I’ll help you in seducing your poor choice in men if you’ll help me with my own. I’m not going to tell you who it is, you don’t need to know. If you agree then refold the parchment and put it inside your robes, if not, crumble it and toss it into your bag. I’ll do the planning and work, you just react off me.

I hope you choose wisely, you’re a smart kid.” 

Charlie couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Avon was so full of himself, but he was smart. He was a snake of a person, as clique as that was for her to say of him, but he was as sly and cunning as the next Slytherin. Even more so because he knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get exactly what he wanted when he wanted it. Perhaps he was a good ally to have on this after all, and even if Charlie refused he may very well just use the chance to make her life hell with his knowledge. If they were what you would call friends, their relationship was an odd one. Not to mention in his favor. 

Folding the parchment with crisp edges she tucked it into her robes, smiling down the table at Avon with a raise of her brow before going back to her meal. A few minutes later, some of the students had cleared out and she had fallen into a conversation about their homework. Charlie felt someone slide in next to her. Blaise, who had been ignoring Charlie completely, glared at Avon as he moved over to make room but didn’t dare say anything to him. Avon seemed to intimidate most people without even trying, maybe due to his dark good looks, maybe his reputation. Any reason was a good one in Charlies opinion, she knew she was lucky to be in his list of favorite people and even luckier to have been placed there in her second year.

“This weekend was fun.” He grinned, his back turned to Malfoy as he leaned into the table. Charlie pushed away her finished meal, her eyes flicking down the table to see if they had caught attention past Avon’s shoulder. Her lips twitched when she noticed him looking over the back of the elder boy’s head, his brow furrowed. “It was interesting to say the least.” She replied, smiling at whatever game Avon now was playing with her as a second. He cast a glance down the end of the table he faced; Charlie didn’t care to follow his gaze but noted that it didn’t go far.

Moving to lean into her ear, Avon’s breath blew over her neck as he spoke. “I left dinner last night early to study, you not showing up is a happy coincidence. If we do this right they’ll get jealous, but they won’t think we’re together. That would ruin what the outcome of this is going to be.” “I’m going to assume you’re not only taking that route for my gain, based on your phrasing.” Charlie muttered back, her eyes down cast to the table as she listened. “Of course, sounds like a plan.” He returned to his normal volume as he pulled back, standing and turning to face her smoothly. “See you later.” He nodded a farewell, smirking to himself as he walked away from the table and out the door.

As she turned back she caught Malfoy staring at her, Parkinson glaring over his shoulder as he leaned down the table to mutter something Blaise. She didn’t look long, Bleddyn mouthing a question punctuated with a curse from the other end of the table at her catching her attention. She only shrugged, standing with her friends and walking to their first class of the morning.


	11. Better Stop If You're Making More Plans

"What in Merlin's name was that about?"

"None of your business."

"This is entirely about your business, which I am involved with." Moira argued as she gave her one of her signature looks, pushing her for answers. "You work your gossip; let me do what I'm going to do." Charlie told her, earning a short glare before Moira decided to give in. "Fine, but when whatever you're doing finally works you tell me everything." Charlie agreed, out of the castle to trek down the hill to Care of Magical Creatures as Moira fell to complaining about how much she despised the class.

When they got there they found Malfoy already torturing Potter, but the class quickly fell to chaos after they were assigned the task of walking the beasts that were blast ended skrewts. The rest of the day and the next went off without a hitch, Charlie attending each class back into the swing of things dressed to match her daring with each new day. Potions on Tuesday had Malfoy watching her like a hawk, Charlie hoping with fingers crossed behind her caldron that it was because of the comments Avon had made in conversation with Blaise at breakfast.

"I don't care about getting a girlfriend; they're all the same, annoying." Blaise was complaining. "Not to mention the crop of decent ones here runs thin." Malfoy had added, much to Parkinson's upset beside him as he ignored her conversation about how awful Potter was. "Only if you let the good ones get away." Avon smirked, standing up and picking up his books. "The rules are boys, when you think you want something, you work to have it before someone else with a quicker decision making skills comes along. The decent girls go fast because blokes like you two sit around on your ass doing nothing, even when you see something you like." Charlie was listening in, and caught the pointed look paired with a brow quirk that Avon had given Malfoy.

She was sipping her tea, lavender to calm her nerves, when Avon came to her. Leaning an arm on the table as his other slipped into his pocket he bent to her ear. "Don't take that personally, but sometimes boys are painfully dense to the point you have to be so blunt you're just short of shoving their face into a girl." She laughed mid sip, almost sputtering on her tea as she turned to look up at him with an amused smile. "Have a good day, Charlie." He said, pushing away from the table and leaving the hall. Moira and Charlie shared a look before they had collapsed into laughter, the latter looking over the hands covering her grin to lock eyes with the cold grey that was Malfoy's stare.

Potions class seemed to be going on forever, and this was normal period. Double potions weren't until Friday. Most of her fellow house mates had distracted themselves with torturing Potter; something she thought would keep Malfoy distracted. It wasn't. Every time she looked over to his station with Blaise he seemed to be looking at her, and she willed herself not to let it get to her enough to make her blush. Bravely she turned on her heel when Snape announced there would be more note taking after they finished mixing their potions to give them time to brew. A couple of well-placed steps put her at the edge of Malfoy's table, sliding glinting green nail polish across the wood as she leaned against it.

He turned to look at her from the conversation he was having with Blaise, which ended abruptly when her cousin saw her. "What is it Camson?" Malfoy asked, sounding bored as he looked down at her. "I was wondering if I could ask for a favor." Charlie answered as she cut right to her chase, playing with the necklace that peeked out from between the top buttons of her shirt. She did this often out of nervousness, but not usually in front of people. Grey eyes flicked down to her fingers as they toyed with the silver chain, before locking back onto hers.

She felt her confidence wavering, suddenly hit with whatever ridiculously expensive cologne he wore and the constant smell of mint that always seemed to be on him as he stepped towards her so less than a foot was between them. His lips quirked into a smirk as he leaned one arm against the table, looking down at her as he spoke. "That depends on the favor, and if I get anything in return." He was going to give her whiplash or fainting spell; Charlie wasn't sure which was going to come first but her knees were already beginning to feel a bit weak. She tried to re-strengthen her resolve as she looked back up at him and traded playing with her necklace for flipping a braid off of her shoulder. She noticed he followed her hand , barely shifting his eyes away from her face to watch the movement before looking back at her.

"Well I'm running a bit low on ink; I had to copy a set of notes to trade off this morning. Would you mind letting me possibly use a spare or share yours?" Malfoy chuckled at her question, glancing over her shoulder at Moira behind her at their table. "Mordred not open to sharing with a friend?" "Please, she's as stingy as they come with her supplies." Charlie's heart almost leapt into her throat as he looked down to hide his smile, barely catching a look before he fell back into his signature smirk. "I don't know Camson, I might be running low myself." She laughed, rolling her eyes at his response as she placed a hand on her hip. His eyes followed again. "Malfoy, give me a break. We all know you're never without the best and the most of anything." This time his smile wasn't hidden, but it was prideful. It made Charlie's mouth go dry either way, watching as perfectly strait teeth peeked out and his eyes turned up at the corners.

He was silent for a moment, seeming to think about it as he glanced at Snape setting up the board. "Zambini, switch with Camson." He snapped, looking over his shoulder as Blaise glowered at him but began shoving his things into his bag anyway. Charlie turned and grabbed her own supplies off her table, sending Moira a wink when her back was turned to Malfoy as she slipped her bag over her shoulder and clutched her potions book to her chest. Blaise sat next to Moira, the two sharing a nod. They were good enough acquaintances, never really having a problem with each other except when she nagged him for information.

Malfoy didn't step out from behind the table to let her or Blaise through, Blaise walking around the two tables behind them to avoid him. Charlie on the other hand saw an opportunity. She watched Malfoy from under her bangs as she slid between his front and the table, her chest a hairs width away from his. He visibly stiffened, looking down at her as she slid past and barely flinching as her hip caught his before she turned to sit. She rolled out her parchment, feeling the butterflies in her stomach begin to kick up after the shock of her risk taking. Malfoy had barely moved, and Charlie could feel Parkinson's glare in her back.

"Mr. Malfoy, if you have trouble finding your seat perhaps-" Snape didn't get to finish his snap, Malfoy clearing his throat and sliding into his seat now next to Charlie. Placing the ink well between the two of them, Malfoy seemed to regain his composure and attitude. He slide his stool closer to hers, probably for an easier time sharing but the distance put Charlie right back in her place of being overwhelmed by mint and musk. It took her a moment to start writing, getting lost in her thoughts for a moment but quickly catching up as she followed Snape's lecture. After a few minutes Snape had filled the board with information, falling silent as he expected them to copy.

"Can you move over so I can see?"

"Deal with it Parkinson, we have to share."

Charlie smirked to herself as she shot back at the hissing complaint from behind her, catching Malfoy grinning and finding herself caught up in it. He looked up to catch her staring, Charlie quickly looking back down at her notes in hopes it would look like she had been turning away from Parkinson or reading his writing. She finished soon enough, putting down her quill. Malfoy looked up from his writing, glancing at her paper and then at her with a laugh. "Is something funny?" She asked, smiling when he laughed again.

"Your handwriting is atrocious." He said with a grin, their voices hushed to not draw Snape's attention. "I don't care about neatness when I'm writing my own notes, I can read it." She explained, glancing at his own parchment for comparison. Each letter was formed flawlessly, printed with sharp lines. Compared to Charlie's half formed swirling mess of cursive his did look much neater, but he had also not gotten the last few lines yet. "It's faster, you're taking forever." She commented, tapping her finger on the edge of his parchment to prove her point. "That doesn't mean anyth-"

"If we're all done. There is more to be written."

The look of panic that crossed Malfoy's face as Snape erased the board from the bottom up sent Charlie into a fit of muffled giggles into her sleeve, picking up her paper and dipping it in ink. "Thank a lot Camson." He sneered. "Calm down, I'll let you copy mine." "I can't read your mess." "Well then I'll read it for you Malfoy, I'm not going to let you fail because of me. I don't dislike you that much." He fell quiet, and halfway through her jotting down the newest notes Charlie looked up to read another line and caught him watching her in her peripheral vision. She let her lip pop out from where it had been caught between her teeth, a habit of hers when she was focused, as she turned her head.

After a few seconds of their gaze meeting he went to copying off the board, leaving space to add the missing lines. Charlie once again finished before him, scratching her left over ink into the shapes of vines down the side of her paper. Snape released them to leave as soon as they had finished copying and turned off the burners on their potions, planning to check them after class had all left. Everyone had begun to clear out when Draco finished, Moira and Blaise having a hushed conversation next to them and Parkinson glaring into Charlie's back behind. Only a few stragglers besides those few remained when Malfoy turned to her and pulled her notes towards him.

Looking her handwriting over he found where he had stopped copying and began to copy her words. "I thought you couldn't read it." Charlie teased, crossing her legs and half-laying on the table as she waited. "Quiet." Was all he shot back, finishing up his copying and putting away his supplies. Charlie reached for her own notes, the parchment slipping under her fingers as he pulled it away from her with a grin, turning in his seat to face her. "What Malfoy?" she sighed, not moving from her lounging state as she fussed with her tie. The damn thing was never strait on her. Malfoy watched her finger for a moment before moving his gaze back to her face.

"You owe me a favor." She felt a chill go down her spine, but hid it beneath a well-placed eye roll as she shifted to sit up properly. "Does his highness already have a request?" she teased, watching his brow quirk as he smirked at her. "I do." He glanced to the table behind them, their conversation falling silent, and Charlie could tell he was holding in a laugh as he sneered at Parkinson. "Do you need something?" "We'll be late for lunch, come on." She said simply, obviously waiting on him so they could leave together. A glance over Malfoys shoulder told her Blaise was getting up to go, Moira already disappearing out the door. "You can go by yourself, you're not a child." Charlie had to hold in her laughter, catching Parkinson going red out of the corner of her eye. "Go with Blaise, he's leaving." She added, smiling when her cousin shot her a look to kill from behind Malfoy.

Parkinson trudged off, throwing her bag over her shoulder and stomping out of the room with Blaise on her heels. "She's pissed." Malfoy laughed, Charlie laughing despite trying to hide her smile at the comment. "She's always pissed." She replied. Before they could fall into silence Malfoy went back to their prior conversation. "You're going to help me with our Divination homework." Charlie raised a brow at him shifting her position to face him as she crossed her legs opposite before and checked to make sure they weren't the last people in the room.

"Malfoy, you're brilliant. Why do you need my help?" She replied. He stumbled over his reply, seeming shocked at the compliment as he shifting in his seat and caused their knees to brush. "You explain it better than that joke Trelawney. Saturday, right after lunch, be in the courtyard with your notes and textbook." He said as he stood, dusting his robes and turning the burner of his caldron off. "Yes sir." Charlie replied with a laugh at his look of disdain, turning to roll her notes and place them in her bag. She stood and moved to turn off her burner at her usual seat, not caring to walk around and leaning on the table to reach.

When she turned back around she caught Malfoy behind her, gaze coming back up from where her feet met the ground. When she caught his eye she smiled, raising a brow and heading out the door for lunch when he looked away. He followed behind her, their feet echoing up the stairs, the two of them stopping as they reached the shifting line to get out the door of the dungeon.

Maybe for once Charlie's plans would work out after all.


	12. Touching Me, Touching You

The line moved slowly, probably due to a group of first years blocking the entrance by trying to get out in too big of a group. Charlie pressed her hand against the wall, looking over the heads of the crowds as she waited for them to move. Moira waved her fingers at her from higher up, smiling with self-pride as she continued to talk with Blaise. Charlie began to wonder what she was doing as they began to move, slowly up the stairs before stopping again on the middle landing. She caught Moira’s eyes again, the girl leaning around Blaise as they both looked down at her. Her brow rose, not liking the smirk on Blaise’s face. Her friend nodded towards somewhere in the middle between them.

Parkinson was seething a couple of steps above Charlie, glaring over the heads of their house mates at her. Deep red lips pulled into a smile as Moira made a signal with her hands and fluffed her hair, nodding to her friend. She trusted the red-heads knowledge of flirting, and she would take any help she could get. Leaning her back against the wall, Charlie looked down at Malfoy from her new perch inches above him. Her nose was barely level with the top of his head, grey eyes having to look up at her to meet her own. “What the hell is taking so long?” he asked her, obviously irritated.

“It’s probably just a bunch of first years causing trouble.” She replied, tugging the ribbons loose from the ends of her braids and tying them around the leather strap of her bag. “What are you doing?” “Taking my hair down, I’m sick of it like this. Why, want to help?” She smiled to herself as he rolled his eyes at her. She began to slowly unravel her braids, working her fingers through her hair gently. “I don’t understand girls.” “We don’t understand you either.” Malfoy scoffed, bracing his arm against the wall as he watched her and running a hand through his bangs to smooth them.

“Why do you care so much what your hair looks like?”

She fumbled, falling into laughter despite her attempt to keep it. A glance at Malfoy sent her into another giggling fit. “You shouldn’t be talking, you fuss with yours more than I do.” “I do not!” “Yes you do, you just did it.” He huffed, falling silent again as she regained her composure and undid her hair up to where they met her scalp. “If you must know, I’ve had my hair in these damn braids for two days now and it’s starting to become uncomfortable.” “You’re always fussing with your hair.” The comment made her falter, her fingers slipping through smooth strands.

“Do I? I hadn’t noticed.” She pushed, watching him closely. The redness that came to his face was what she hoped was a flush of embarrassment, but she didn’t count on it. She finished unbraiding her hair on the other side, slipping her fingers into the weaving at her scalp as she shook out dark strands and let it fall over her shoulders. Charlie admired Moira’s handiwork, her regularly thick and waving hair now falling in near perfect curls that bounced as she moved. A quick look at Moira earned her a thumbs up before she turned back to look at Malfoy, catching him staring up at her with a raised brow.

“Better, don’t you think?” She asked, turning back towards the now barely moving crowd before she could see his reaction. “Looks fine.” He replied behind her, a small smile breaking out over her face in return before her pride was soon cut off. The person in front of her stumbled back, Charlie stepping into them and getting thrown off balance and her hand missing the wall in an attempt to regain it. One foot landed on the floor behind her as the other slipped from the step, her eyes squeezing shut as she expected to hit the floor hard as students behind her moved out of the way for their own favor.

She didn’t expect to be caught, not without Morgan around, so her breath left her when a pair of hands caught her waist. Charlie’s back became flush with someone’s chest, her body going still with shock until the falling feeling in her stomach stopped. Her surprise wore off, her chest rising and falling as she started to breathe again. Becoming aware of the hand gripping her waist and the arm that had wrapped around her, it didn’t take long for Charlie to realize who she was pressed against. Mint was invading her senses as breath somehow got past the mass that was her hair to meet the skin of her neck. Her knees went weak and she almost fell even further.

“What the hell is wrong with you? Are you so dense you can’t walk properly?” Malfoy sneered, the comment directed at the 2nd year that had stepped back into her. “It’s not my fault, she ran into me!” the kid yelled, pointing up the stairs. Charlie didn’t care to figure out what had happened; she was more preoccupied at her situation. Even as she got both feet on the ground and regained her balance his hands didn’t move from her waist, the skin under her shirt developing into flames that were quickly spreading across her skin.

“Malfoy. Let me go.”

It took him a moment, but the whistle that echoed down from Blaise snapped him out of it with a jump away from her. Even though she burned with embarrassment and as well as riled up hormones, Charlie laughed at his expression. Malfoy seemed utterly at shock with himself as well as a little embarrassed. Pushing through her own burning awkwardness, she decided to push her luck before she escaped to hide her quickly flushing cheeks. “Nice catch.” She commented, having to breathe out slowly to avoid showing her nervousness as he locked eyes with her. “You might want to work on your release.”

Quickly she fled, following the now scarce crowd on the stairs as traffic finally broke. She quickly grabbed Moira from her spot gloating by the staircase, pulling her into the girl’s bathroom and throwing her bag into a sink as she braced herself against it. “What the hell was that?” “That my dear friend was a valiant effort in flirting combined with a Parkinson’s jealous actions blowing up in her face.” Moira was giggling, seeming extremely proud of herself. “He caught me.” “If this is a set up for some joke about falling for him I’m not participating.” Charlie scoffed, running her fingers through her hair and looking at herself in the mirror.

She was bright red, but at least her hair looked nice. The points of her skin where he had held her still tingled and she ran her hands under cold water to press against her cheeks. “Moira, you don’t understand. Draco Malfoy caught me. He did something for another person, he didn’t just selfishly move out of the way. He caught me, he put his hands on me, and he didn’t let go immediately as soon as I could stand.” Looking at her eyes in the mirror she replayed the events in her mind. “I still can’t really stand…”

Moira ignored her muttering. “What a surprise, could it be that the rumors that Malfoy has a crush on you could actually be true?” The pride in her voice told Charlie that she was hiding something. “What has Blaise told you?” She snapped, turning on her as she finally calmed down from her contact high off of Malfoy. “Nothing.” Moira smiled as she fixed her lipstick. “Moira I’m serious.” “I know you are, but my telling you would ruin it.” Charlie glared at her, leaning over to take the lipstick from her hand and apply a fresh coat herself. “I have a study session with Malfoy Saturday.” Moira smiled to herself as she placed her lipstick back into her bag, handing Charlie her own leather satchel before taking her hand.

“I know, Blaise told me.”

“How does he know?”

“Because Malfoy told him he was going to ask you. That boy has a plan.”

Friday came quickly, Charlie both dreading and looking forward to Double Potions. Malfoy had been avoiding being within three feet of her since Tuesday, but they seemed to be on good terms still. She arrived early with her friends, leaning against the wall as she read their lesson today in her textbook. The roar of laughter that came from the growing group of people that were forming near the door caused her to look up, finding Malfoy surrounded by his usual group as well as most of their class. He was passing something out, looking very proud of himself as he did so. She closed her book and pushed off the wall to watch, quirking a brow. “Malfoy!” The blonde turned his head, meeting her eye and finishing whatever conversation he was having before heading toward her.

“Moira, your mascara is running.” Lilona said, hiding her amused smile as the other girl gasped loudly and shoved her books into Charlie’s arms. “Hold this.” She said, taking out her compact to inspect her face as she turned away from the rest of the students. Shifting the books she couldn’t balance both her and Moira’s textbooks for this class, plus Moira’s Charms book, in one hand so instead she stacked them all on top of each other and held them in front of her. Malfoy stopped in front of her, still holding the box at his side.

“What is it Camson?” he sighed, annoyed as he looked down at her. “I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.” She tossed her hair out of her face, glancing from the box in his hands to the button on his robes before promptly falling into a fit of giggles. “Brilliant, you’ve found a way to annoy Potter not just by yourself but with the rest of the student population.” She laughed, shifting the books before they dug too hard into her fingers. Malfoys lips twitched into a smile, pride rolling off him as he glanced down at the button as he spoke. “That’s not all, watch.”

As he pressed the button the letters shifted from the glaring red “Support Cedric Diggory; The Real Hogwarts Champion” to “POTTER STINKS”. Charlie fell into another fit of laughter. The buttons were cruel and extremely obvious, but they were absolutely hilarious and did exactly what they were meant to do; throw Harry Potter under the bus. Malfoy was grinning, rocking back and forth on his heels slightly as he basked in his own glory. “You’ve outdone yourself this time, when did you make these?” “Over the past couple of days.” He replied. She shifted the books again, and the leather covers digging into her arms gave her an idea. Hiding her smirk she shifted her weight to one hip before glancing into the box that held the rest of the buttons.

“May I have one?” she asked, watching his grin grow wider as his brow rose. “I don’t see why not.” He replied, almost sounding like a sneer but falling short. Malfoy picked a button and held it out to her, only earning a raised brow back. “Unless you’ve lost your sight from making all those buttons, I think it’s obvious my hands are occupied.” “Then drop them.” Charlie snorted, rolling her eyes at him. “I know this may come as a surprise to you Malfoy, but not everyone has the money to treat their textbooks like garbage and throw them on the ground.” He scoffed before replying.

“Your mother works for the Ministry, your family is well off.” “She’s a secretary, or do you only remember that information when you’re using it to taunt me?” He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms in front of his chest. “I don’t just toss away or damage something that I value, object or person, at least not on purpose.” She hoped he picked up on her underlying apology for embarrassing him in her rant the other night. “What the hell do you expect me to do then?” “You could be a gentleman and put it on me.” He stopped, his brow rising in surprise as he attempted to form a response. Charlie smiled to herself; he was cute when he was flustered.

She was shocked when he put down the box, stepping towards her. Moira was looking at her from the mirror of her compact; Charlie could see her shocked expression when she glanced towards her for moral support. Her eyes never left his face as slipped his fingers under the edge of her robes, pushing the pin through the fabric before closing it. Charlie felt herself begin to flush a bit as he stepped away, smirking as he picked up the box and walked away without another word. Mint lingered in the air behind him, reaching her as Moira came to her side with a snap of her compact.

“Well, looks like you don’t need our help in flirting after all.” She smiled, taking her books from Charlie’s hands. “It’s easier when he goes along with it.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, watching as he turned to Potter coming down the stairs with a prideful grin. Even if some of his reasons weren’t nice by most people’s standards, Charlie couldn’t deny that they brought out the best in Malfoy, even if it was at the worst times on occasion.


	13. You Think You're Ready For It

Attention was quickly drawn to the end of the hall, Moira and Charlie’s conversation cut short as they watched the altercation between Malfoy and Potter unfold. They moved closer, standing a few feet from the crowd and rolling their eyes at the over-done laughing of Parkinson, Seraphina and some of the other Slytherin girls. Charlie found herself smiling at the rage on Potter’s face, Moira watching with mild interest and Lilona chuckling from the sidelines. “Oh very funny, really witty.” Hermione Granger said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Charlie watched as Malfoy’s eyes turned to her, letting a laugh out at the situation she had now gotten herself into. “You really think she’d know better.” Lilona sighed, earning a nod from the other two girls. “I think she does it for his attention, she knows she’ll get it. He can’t help but make fun of a Mudblood.” Moira added, earning a sharp look from Charlie.

“What, you try and get his attention too.” “I think your idea is ridiculous.” Charlie replied, turning back to the action in front of her. She didn’t like the idea for a few reasons, two of them being that Moira had been implying that Malfoy and Granger would ever be involved with each other and the fact that she had used that awful word everyone in their house used. Moira knew Charlie hated that, she didn’t know why she still did it. Even if Charlie wasn’t friendly towards most muggle born students, there didn’t need to be an awful word for it like they weren’t the same flesh and blood like the rest of them.

“Want one, Granger?”

Charlie watched as Malfoy fell into his usual taunting, leaning against the wall. “I’ve got loads. But don’t touch my hand, now. I’ve just washed it, you see; don’t want a Mudblood sliming it up.” She cringed at his words, glancing at Morgan standing at her side. He was gritting his jaw, but of course stayed silent as always. In a burst of emotion Potter broke his mask of silent anger, drawing his wand quickly. People scattered, Morgan grabbing Charlie and Moira by the arms and pulling them further down the hall as Lilona followed. “Not again.” Charlie sighed, peeking out from the doorway she had been pulled into and watching as Malfoy pulled out his own wand.

She watched his back as he spoke, feeling her stomach tighten. “Go on, then, Potter.” Malfoy’s voice was low and barely audible from their distance. “Moody’s not here to look after you now- do it, if you’ve got the guts.” It fell deadly quiet for a second, her fingers digging into the wall as she waited. Both of them screamed at the same time, spells flying as Morgan tugged her further into the doorway. She didn’t see what happened, but by the time she scrambled out of Morgan’s grip Snape had appeared in the hallway. Taking in the surroundings she realized both of their spells had missed, Malfoy’s hitting Granger and Potters hitting Goyle.

“And what is all this noise about?”

Slytherin house was quick to try and make excuses to their head, but Snape pointed at Malfoy and they fell silent. “Explain.” “Potter attacked me, sir-“ Malfoy quickly fell into his act of being perfect in every way, and even though Charlie was positive Snape saw right through it. She also knew he probably used it to pick on Potter himself. “We attacked each other at the same time!” Potter shouted but was ignored as Malfoy continued. “-and he hit Goyle, look-“ Goyle’s face was sprouting boils, turning the already mildly unattractive boy into a horror show. “Fitting.” Moira muttered, Charlie hiding her snort of amusement.

“Hospital wing, Goyle.” “Malfoy got Hermione! Look!” Ron Weasley finally chimed in, forcing Granger to take her hands away from her face and show her ever-growing teeth. It was Moira’s turn to laugh, earning an elbow from Charlie. “What?” Moira hissed. “Imagine if that were you, would you be laughing?” Charlie hissed back, effectively shutting her up. “I see no difference.” Snape replied to Weasley, the other Slytherin girls falling almost to the floor with laughter as Granger took off in embarrassment. Potter and Weasley went into a fit of yelling insults at Snape, a few of which Charlie caught on their echo’s and praised them for their creativity.

“Let’s see.”

Charlie, Morgan, Moira and Lilona decided it was safe to come out from their hiding spot. “Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it’ll be a week’s worth of detentions.” The class made their way inside Charlie taking her seat next to Moira and setting out her things. Malfoy threw his bag onto the table next to her, turning his back on Snape and pressing his button so it read “POTTER STINKS” before sitting down. Charlie followed his gaze, catching Potter glaring across the room. “You just have to get the last laugh, don’t you?” Charlie said to Malfoy, earning a grin in return. The lesson began, and everyone could feel Potter seething.

“Antidotes! You all should have prepared your recipes now. I want you to brew them carefully, and then, we will be selecting someone on whom to test one….” “Hopefully it’s Camson’s, for Potters sake.” Malfoy joked next to her, earning a raised brow back. Before she could reply the door shook with a knock, all heads turning to watch the younger student edge into the room and walk to Snape’s desk. Charlie ignored the interaction as soon as Potters name was mentioned, planting her nose into her book to try and re-read the passage on antidotes before she had to brew one. Potter was taken from class soon after, the rest of the students falling into their studies like any other abnormal day at Hogwarts.

Saturday morning woke Charlie early, getting up and promptly going for a walk as soon as she was somewhat decently dressed. It smelled like rain outside, and clouds were slowly rolling in over the lake. She slipped into the Great Hall and wrapped two sandwiches, one of toast, egg, tomato and bacon and another of jam and cream, in a napkin before going back down to her dorm to eat in bed with her book. She was getting towards the end of her awfully cheesy book, a romantic tale of a werewolf boy and a delightfully sassy girl being torn apart by his family and their fears of his darker side, and just when she had thought that it would end without any incident she was proved wrong. The last chapter fell into well written pornography, and as much as it shamed her to be reading it Charlie couldn’t put it down.

Finishing her sandwiches and closing her book with a snap, she threw away her trash before wandering to the washroom to bathe. By the time she had come back after drying her hair with far too many drying spells and redressing into her earlier clothes, their other roommates had gone to breakfast. She decided to let Moira sleep a while longer and picked up her book before leaving the room quietly. She found a dark corner of the common room and curled up in a leather chair, kicking off her flats and tucking her feet under her as she opened her book. Charlie was sinking slowly down as she read, lucky for the high back of the chair behind her as the story became more adult than she anticipated. She could feel herself flushing but she couldn’t stop reading. The words had her so absorbed that she didn’t notice her surroundings, and it came to bite her quickly.

“He held her tightly as they fell into bliss together, her body shaking as he-“

“Avon, shut up!” Charlie hissed, turning around to smack the boy in the arm hard with her book. Avon walked around her chair, chuckling to himself before he sat on the ottoman in front of her. “I never took you for the naughty reading type.” He said, kicking his boots up against her seat and leaning forward with his arms against his knees. “I’m not; I didn’t expect it to escalate like that.” “Wait until I tell Malfoy, maybe your date will be a little more entertaining.” Charlie’s already flushed cheeks burned, glaring at him before rolling her eyes as she sunk into her chair. “It’s not a date, and how do you know about it?” “Your brother.” Charlie shook her head, knowing Bleddyn had probably gotten his information from eavesdropping on her and Moira.

“That little punk, I’ll get him back later.” She paused, looking at him with a raised brow. “How you two became friends I’ll never know.” Avon grinned. “I wouldn’t call us friends; I just like to mess with him. He gives the best reactions.” “He is a hot-head.” “So are you.” Charlie scowled, sitting up and kicking his feet off her chair. “Bleddyn is much worse than I am.” “He is, which is why I enjoy fucking with him. But you’re also pretty warm under all that hair Miss Camson, which is why I also like to bother you, and probably why Malfoy interacts with you the way he does.” Charlie didn’t push Avon for his reasoning, standing up and stretching.

Avon looked up at her with a smirk, watching as she ran a hand through her bangs to get them out of her face. “Leaving already? We were just getting into a good conversation.” Charlie couldn’t help but laugh at his fake pout, leaning down and flipping his braid over his shoulder playfully. “I’ve got to go get ready, go bother another Camson. He’s probably off causing trouble somewhere.” She said, stepping around him and heading towards the girls dorms. “Gladly.” Avon answered behind her, and when she turned he was already disappearing out of the door into the dungeons.

Charlie stepped into her room, shutting the door silently behind her and moving towards her things as Moira turned over. Large dark eyes fluttered at her, her friend a princess as always. “Preparing for your date?” she asked, her voice still a bit low from sleep. “It’s not a date.” Charlie said, pulling out her trunk and shifting through her clothes while Moira stretched before rolling out of bed. “It’s a date; he’s just not calling it that. Either way, I’ll be joining you shortly; I have one of my own.” Charlie looked at her with a raised brow.

“Oh? With who?” Moira smiled to herself at the question, shaking out her curls before folding her scarf. “Teodor.” “You’re joking.” The grin that broke out on her face told Charlie she wasn’t, picking up her toiletries and walking to the door. “I’m not, he asked me last night after dinner.” She clarified as she left to go attend to her morning skin care routine. Shaking her head, Charlie went back to picking out her clothes for today as nerves started to form in her stomach.

By the time Moira came back she was dressed, pulling her hair up into a bun in their mirror and making sure the hairs around her face fell as she wanted them to. “Is that what you’re wearing?” Moira asked, sitting on her bed and pulling her trunk towards her to sift through her own clothing. “Yes, what’s your problem with it?” Charlie asked. Moira always criticized her outfit choices, and Charlie always had a comeback. “I just think you could dress up a bit more.” “We’re studying, not going out or dinner.” Moira sighed, walking over to Charlie. “Fine, but at least let me add something.”

When Charlie didn’t disagree, Moira motioned for her to turn around. She had to stand on her toes to place the velvet around her neck, fastening the clasp and stepping back. Charlie went back to the mirror, looking herself over and appreciating Moira’s sense of fashion. The choker was just that, black velvet with a small purple stone hanging from the center. It drew even more attention to her bare shoulders and chest, the lace of her tank top barely covering her bra straps and not much skin besides that from under her off-shoulder shirt. Long sleeves ended with holes that her thumbs pushed through, the tight knit of the black shirt clinging to her before tucking into the high waist of an acid grey set of shorts.

“You look like you’re attending a very causal funeral for a hooligan.” Moira commented. “Don’t I always?” Charlie replied, tying a purple flannel around her waist so it dangled by the dark stockings that came to her knees. She paced the room for a while, watching Moira dress and looking at herself in the mirror far too many times as her boots clunked against the floor. Nerves wracked her stomach, causing her to become irritated with herself. Why did she care so much? It was Malfoy, he sees her every day; but everyday wasn’t just the two of them together.

Alone.

With each other.

With a shake of her hands she pulled out her bag and applied her usual makeup, maybe smudging eyeliner a little more than her normal routine required. Just tinted lip balm went to her lips, not wanting to deal with having to eat with lipstick on and then reapplying. Once Moira was ready and looking far more glamorous than she did, they linked arms and headed out the door for lunch. Charlie’s heart hammered in her chest but the only thing she could do was hope for the best outcome of her quickly arriving alone time with the Slytherin Prince, Draco Malfoy.


	14. Thorns And A Cheap Bouquet

“Moira!” Charlie screamed, running into the Slytherin common room as her hair flew behind her. “Moira Mordred!”

“Pipe down will you?”

Her bag slammed on the leather of the common room couch, books tumbling from the opening and parchment scattering to the floor as Charlie stalked towards the voice in the corner. She could feel every eye on her, piercing into her skin past the thick layer of red flush that remained. The gleaming smirk below her made her hands twitch in anticipation, wanting to send his perfect teeth flying into the fireplace. 

“Where is Moira?”

“On her date I suppose.”

Avon’s voice echoed behind her as she took the stairs two at a time, heels pounding into the stone as she took off for the grounds, first years darting out of her path along the way. She thought she must have looked frightful, teeth grit, green burning below thick lashes and her hair tangling behind her. Giggling from a corridor drew her attention, her shoes squeaking on the stone as she stopped at the stone corner and looked down the hallway. It wasn’t Moira much to her dismay. Instead of her red-headed target, there stood Pansy Parkinson, obnoxiously laughing as her hands gripped dark fabric. She was too close, why was she so fucking close? How was she not stumbling from the smell of his cologne and dizzy under his gaze? Throat thick, Charlie called out to them, hoping her sneer hid her rage. 

“Already on to the next one Malfoy?”

Pansy’s pug face squished into itself more than usual, beady eyes glaring from under her bangs as all other heads turned her direction. She opened her mouth to retort, Charlie’s hand rising to toss away her presence cutting her off. 

“I don’t have time for you.”

Grey eyes caught hers, pale hair ruffled from leaning against the wall behind him. Charlie tried to keep her gaze harsh, lips a thin line of dark lipstick as her mind screamed to break his gaze. Blaise was next to him, and from the corner of her eye she saw an expression of utter amusement crossing his face. She couldn’t focus on him long, Malfoy pulling her attention back onto in one small motion. His lips twitched into a smirk, catching her eye again as his brow rose a fraction of an inch. Hiding her flustered frustration, Charlie took off down the opposite corridor once again.

Circling the castle twice her luck ran thin, not seeing a sign of her so-called friend anywhere. Heading along the edge of the forbidden forest, the rain barreled against her skin and soaked into her bones. Numb to the chill running down her spine, a patch of stone caught her attention as she turned on her heel towards the laughter floating from under the trees. She could hear the talking over the wind, the last drops rolling down her back before the canopy blocked her from the storm. The tangle of branches hid the paths between the trees, her ankle throbbing after losing her footing on a damp root. Ducking under low hanging branches, she found them. Red hair stood out against the green undergrowth, and Charlie locked onto the curls as she weaved through the trees. 

The boy she was with, whatever his name was, spotted her first. Dark eyes met freckled green as his brow furrowed, and she could hear the pause of confusion in her best friends babbling. She didn’t hesitate. 

“What did you do?!”

Soft fabric bunched under her fingers as she gripped the back of her cardigan, pulling hard to turn Moira to face her. The thud of her back hitting the tree made her wince, worrying only for a second that she was hurt. Moira’s voice cracked as she spoke, small hands shoving into Charlie’s shoulders as she regained her balance.

“What is wrong with you?”

“Why did you tell him? How could you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!” Charlie glanced at their unwanted third party before continuing. 

“HIM. You told him I liked him.”

“I most certainly did not!”

Staring at each other, the tension softening as the rainfall faded. Charlie crossed her arms in front of her, scowling as Moira fixed herself before sending an apologetic glance towards her companion.

“Can we talk about this later?’

“No. You told someone something, or you know someone who did. Spill.”

“This really isn’t a great ti-“

“Now.”

“I just started a rumor! I didn’t tell anyone anything, you were fine with it until now.”

“No, he knows. Or he’s pretending to, this isn’t some rumor.”

“So what?”

“He has me cornered! If he knows I like him then I’m the mouse here.”

“My rumor was that you may or may not be flirting with him! Just that it seemed like it to me.”  
“Well, somehow he knows I like him!”

“He probably finally picked up on it! You don’t hide it at all! I thought you wanted him to like you!”

“Not if he can use it against me and I can’t use it against him!”

Charlie stopped, feeling the heat welling in her chest and the tenseness in her muscles relaxed, her face falling into her hands before her fingers made their way through her hair. The only sound was the patter of rainfall, slowly fading into nothingness. Gentle fingers brushed through her hair.

“What am I going to do?”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want you to leave.”

Both girls turned on the boy standing near them, arms crossed and an annoyed look crossing his face. Charlie realized it was Teodor, remembering who Moira had been supposed to be on a date with and struggling to keep her eyes from rolling. He looked at Moira expectantly, brow raised. The small red-head was not having it. 

“Excuse you?”

“We’re supposed to be together.”

“My friend needs me; the date is over. I’m sorry but we can have another.”

“But we didn’t do anything.”

“We talked for over an hour, we walked around the grounds.”

“You know what I mean.”

Charlie didn’t think her jaw could drop any lower. The quirk of his brow, the tone of his voice; it was obvious he was expecting something physical out of this. Sputtering for a moment, Moira was shocked, her entire body bristling with anger. Finally she found herself, voice dangerously measured and her hands hovering in front of her as she spoke. 

“What could have possibly given you the idea that this was, well, above innocent in nature?”

“That’s what everyone said, they said you liked the boys and being with them.”  
“That is not what that means.”

“It is exactly what it means.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you but-“

“You’re seriously refusing? Why are you such a prude?”

He was in trouble. Charlie couldn’t help but grin as Moira stared at him, mouth agape and a laugh forcing it’s way from her chest. Shaking her head slowly she took a step forward, smiling softly. Her hair almost gleamed a deeper red, gentle curls bouncing as she stepped forward gracefully. Folding her hands in front of her she stopped inches in front of him, her head barely meeting his shoulder. Teodor tensed, relaxing when the soft glint of her teeth peeked out from between dark lips. The confusion on his face didn’t last long. 

The sound of skin meeting skin echoed through the trees. 

Teodor’s neck snapped sharply to the side, his hands immediately coming to cover his face as he stumbled to the side. Moira held her hand against her chest, fury still etched into her expression as she turned and began her long trek back to the castle. As he turned his face back into the light Charlie couldn’t help but laugh, watching the line of blood from the cut her nails left drip down his cheek as the area swelled. With a shrug Charlie turned on her heel, following the still fuming Moira through the trees. When they got to the common room Avon was laying in front of the fireplace reading a book, alone. 

“You look like you’ve seen a snake. Well, I suppose you have been seeing a snake lately.”  
“Shut up Avon.”

“What happened.”

Sitting down on the couch, Charlie went through her woes as clearly as she could, frustration brimming behind her words as his grin widened as she spoke. Upon the end of her explanation Avon fell into laughter, a deep cackle the echoed through the room. He stopped as suddenly as he had started, pressing his hands together and looking her in the eye.

“You have two options here; you can continue to flirt with him like your life depends on it until he can’t help but pull you into a dark corridor and yank down your knickers-“

“Avon!”

“-or you can ignore him completely and flirt with me instead until it drives him so up a wall he’ll drop at your feet.”

Clearing her throat as the images he had placed in her mind were locked into the inner chambers to be saved for later use, Charlie straightened her shirt before looking to Moira. Her friend was staring appalled at Avon, her hand placed daintily to her chest as she looked at Charlie. Avon seemed utterly pleased with himself, smirking as he glanced behind Charlies head. He stood, slipping into the seat next to her and leaning into her ear. The contact with him forced a shudder down her spine, fingers fiddling with the ends of her hair as his arm made its way along the couch behind her.

“I can be very convincing, I might even be able to convince you.”

The scoff from behind her turned her head, watching from behind her bangs as Malfoy stalked to a corner to throw himself into a chair. Even though Pansy draped herself at his feet and double dumber sat across from him she could feel his gaze sending chills down her spine. Crossing her legs and turning towards Avon she tried to ignore the needles bearing into the back of her neck. 

“You’re not doing this for any reason other than to fuck with Malfoy and make whoever you’re focusing on jealous right?”

“Maybe I have convinced you.”

Avon leaned into her, tucking strands of hair behind her ear and his fingers brushed along the top of her thigh. She couldn’t help but shiver a little, any contact from good-looking, somewhat cruel house members would send her already stirred hormones raging. Avon was extremely attractive, dark hair framing his face and cascading down his back as equally stirring eyes looked down a perfect nose, all contrasted by ivory skin. She had no idea what he looked like under his heavy cloak and long sleeves, only ever seeing him once without the layers when they said goodbye after arriving back at platform 9 ¾ in the summer. Even then should could only tell outlines of the dip at his waist and sharp curves of his shoulder. She assumed his physique was as he was, harsh but beautiful, and utterly intriguing. Beside her pondering, the only person she was truly interested in witnessing without his robes was currently staring at the back of her head. Avon pulled her from her thoughts.

“Tell me what you decide later.”

He stood, taking her hand in his and pressing his lips to the back of it softly. With a wink he left, sweeping past Malfoy and towards the boy’s dormitories. Standing up herself she turned to Moira, the smaller girl staring up at her with a look of confusion. Charlie couldn’t help but smile. 

“Well, what are you going to do?”

“I think the only logical options is…both.”

“Both?”

Charlie glanced at Malfoy, watching him look away sharply and begin to seemingly listen to Pansy babble on. Moira stood and followed when she began to walk away, hips swinging with each step as she stalked towards the girl’s dormitory. She couldn’t help but smile when she met cold grey eyes, watching them narrow in her direction. She turned to Moira along the way, smiling wide at her. 

“Moira, I need a break from these fucking boys. Get everyone together.”


	16. We'll Help Tonight to Split His Schemes

The weekend before the first task was Hogsmead weekend, most of the eligible students made plans to head down before the tournament officially kicked off. The Friday before the school was buzzing, the final class engaged in their lesson as they whispered behind the professors back. Charlie was stuck behind Pansy, who was unnecessarily whiny today as she primped her hair and shot looks to Malfoy across the room. Leaning around Morgan to false-whisper to Moira next to them, Charlie watched Pansy.

"You know, Hermione Granger is just so… stunningly pretty, don't you think? There's no way anyone here is worthy enough to date her, except maybe someone like Malfoy."

Pansy twisted in her seat, glaring at her as fire burned behind eyes. Charlie only glanced from the corner of her eye, watching Moira's lips tilt into a smile.

"She does seem so… graceful lately. And what an honor to be written about in such an important piece of literature."

Charlie laughed, turning away from Moira and watching Morgan roll his eyes. It took her a moment to regain her composure before she turned again, this time her eyes landed on the person twisted around in her seat to sneer at her. Jerking back in her seat her hand went to her chest, a soft gasp escaping her lips before her hand hit the table top and she let herself laugh. Pushing her hair out of her face she spoke clearly as she could while holding back her giggles.

"I'm so sorry, I forgot dogs were allowed in class."

Pansy opened her mouth to shriek, but the loud bang from the front of the room shut her up. Charlie went back to reading from her book, keeping her smile hidden as the blonde across the aisle chuckled into his palm. The rest of the day went by fast, Avon sitting next to her at dinner and sending smirks at Malfoy through most of the meal. Pansy avoided her like the plague, glaring at her any time they crossed paths but keeping her distance. It seemed like she was avoiding everyone, sitting alone at the end of the table and leaving Malfoy to banter with Blaise and glance in Charlie's direction without being distracted. Grey eyes narrowed when Avon leaned into her ear, poking at her side so she giggled and grinning at her when her eyes shifted to the corner nearest him and her brows shot up.

"You've never been kissed, right?"

"I have, I just haven't in a while."

"What counts as a while?"

"I was 9."

Avon's hand covered his mouth, long fingers brushing against sharp cheek bones as he muffled his laughter. No amount of glaring could seem to make him stop, his shoulders shaking for a few moments more. Finally he sat up straight, leaning his arm against the table and looking her in the eye.

"Tell me about it."

"No."

"Please." His teeth shown as he grinned, leaning his chin on the back of his hand.

"You're not as cute as you think you are."

"You're a terrible liar."

She couldn't help but laugh, shaking her head at him and leaning across the table for more food. He continued to stare at her for a few moments, patiently waiting while she broke her roll in half and smeared butter on one side. Malfoy watched her from down the table, brow raised in annoyance as she bit down into her bread and tore off a section. She grinned behind full cheeks before turning back to Avon.

"We had a play-date, his dad worked with my dad and they wanted to talk about work so he took Bleddyn and I with him on a weekend. The kid was cute, kind of annoying but in a fun way, good at Quidditch and liked dragons a lot. We flew around his house, chased frogs in his garden and went inside to get snacks. He climbed on top of the counter to get himself and me a cookie, when he got down I squished his cheeks and pecked him on the lips before taking both and running."

"Adorable, it's good to know you've always been a terror Camson."

Charlie flipped her bangs out of her eyes before giving him a playful sneer, pushing her plate away from her before she stood. With a wave to Moira and Morgan she lifted her legs over the bench, sending a grin towards Malfoy as she turned on her heel and started her walk down to the common room. Avon was steps behind her, hands in his pockets as his robes swung around his ankles.

"I asked my question because I would like to know our flirting boundaries."

"Flirting boundaries?"

"Exactly. What can I not do, and what can you not do in return."

It was her turn to follow, Avon's pace quickening with a wave of his hand to follow him. They headed down to the boys dormitory, swerving past confused first years. He disappeared around a corner, walking into a dark room and closing the door halfway behind her. Charlie took in the room around her as Avon shrugged off his robes and hung them on his bed post. Much like the girl's dorms, the boys rooms were dim, the fire in the center burning low. Avon lit the lanterns, slowly filling the room with light so she could see better. The same thick green curtains shone in the flames, velvet shimmering from their hooks around four poster beds. A rug was laid between each bed, most of the other beds in the room seemed unslept in minus one. Avon's beside table was covered, small viles filled with liquid hidden behind high stacks of books. A few clothes covered the floor and rested on the black trunks he had shoved under the beds. The black bed sheets billowed when he threw himself down onto them.

"Have a seat."

Charlie awkwardly stood near the door, shuffling her feet. It took her a moment to move, sitting on the opposite end of the bed with her feet flat on the floor. Avon chuckled, leaning back against his headboard and cross his arms.

"Now. What are your boundaries?"

"I… don't know."

"Really? So, you wouldn't care if I snogged you in the middle of a corridor during morning rush to piss off Malfoy."

"Of course I would!"

"Then you know your boundaries."

"Fine. I guess I would rather not do anything too physical or make it seem to serious, I still want him to think there's a chance."

"Good, then our boundaries align."

"Why did you even ask then?!"

"To get you into my dormitory."

Charlie leaned away from him, moving further down the mattress as he laughed at her.

"Calm down Camson. Think about it, what are people going to think when they see us alone together?"

"That something awful happened."

"Ouch. Anyway, the door is open, so obviously nothing explicit is happening in here. But we are a boy and a girl are alone in a room together, so people are going to assume that something is going on."

"They're going to assume I'm a slut."

"I won't let that happen."

Rolling her eyes, Charlie stood placing her hands on her hips and looking down her nose at him.

"I haven't the slightest idea of why you think I'm just going to trust you."

Avon leaned forward on the bed, hands bracing on the bed in front of him as his lips rolled together before turning upward. A roar of noise turned her head towards the door, watching some of the boys stroll past the door. A flash of blonde disappearing into the room across from the sparked her interest, but her attention turned back to the boy on the bed in front of her.

"You're in my room Camson, you already trust me."

"Or I'm confident I can fight you off."

"Either way, you've got nothing to lose."

"Except my dignity if everyone thinks I'm sleeping with you."

"I told you, no one is going to think that."

"Hey Avon, I-!"

The door swung open the rest of the way, the handle slamming into the wall and rattling loudly. Bleddyn stopped in the doorway, the door across the hall slowly swinging closed as he stepped into the room. He stood near the wall, looking between the two of them with his brows screwed in confusion. His shirt hung half untucked from his pants, the fabric wrinkled and bagging around the neck due to undone buttons. Blonde swung around his shoulders, half pulled back and falling from the elastic.

"What are you doing here?"

He stalked into the room, throwing himself onto another bed and kicking his feet up onto the headboard. Avon sat up, throwing a pillow across the room to hit him in the face. The younger Camson threw it back harder, scowling at him.

"She's helping me with something."

"Helping you with what?"

"None or your business. Now get your feet off my bed."

Bleddyn's boots slammed into the floor, his body swinging upright to stare at the two older students.

"It's not your bed, it's the schools bed. Just because you lucked out for an almost empty room doesn't mean it's all yours."

"If I want it to be mine, it is."

Charlie watched the two of them banter, Avon seeming utterly amused while Bleddyn began to steam. Leaning against the poster of the bed she looked her brother over, barely seeing him over the last couple of weeks. He had a bruise fading on his cheek, his fingers bandaged. His hair was slightly greasy, brushing against his jaw and falling into his eyes as he moved. Long legs stretched out to their full length on the floor, the bottoms of his pants fraying slightly. Their mother was going to have a fit over him running his school clothes before they even got halfway through the year. Avon turned to her, sweeping his hand toward the door.

"You're free to leave, we discussed all I wanted to."

"Fine, I'll see you later then."

She crossed the room to ruffle Bleddyn's hair, his body jerking hard out of the way and his tongue peeking past his lips to jut at her.

"Don't cause too much trouble."

"Don't choke on Malfoy's tongue."

The thud of her hand hitting the side of his head hung in the air, turning on her heal and walking out of the room as they began to argue again. Moving through the hallways she kept her head down, younger boys staring at her in varied ranges of emotion as she quickly tried to get to her own dormitory. As usual, things didn't exactly go her way.

"Well, well, well, look at Camson leaving the boys dormitory."

"Shove off Malfoy."

An arm blocked her way, his body leaning into his hand placed firmly on the wall. She glared up at him, brow raised as he sneered. There were people behind him, watching, probably his usual crones excluding Pansy.

"Did you have fun Camson."

"Yeah, I did. You know, I really enjoyed those photos under your mattress. They were very classy, and who knew that you had such a fancy for such behavior. I'll never know how those girls keep their toes so clean."

"You don't even know which dorm is mine."

"Don't I? Well, I sure hope that helps you sleep better tonight."

Her heels hit the floor hard as she jerked around him, quickly turning down the corridor to the girls dormitory. The rest of her night was spent reading, catching up on homework and planning the day to come tomorrow. In the back of her mind something scratched at her nerves, shoved into the depths of denial as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning Moira woke bright and early, her bustling disturbing Charlie's sleep and keeping her from getting back to it. Giving up on the endeavor she got up herself, shuffling to the bathroom to bathe and talking Moira into braiding her hair to make up for getting out of bed early. She shoved her damp legs into black corduroys and tugged dark red wool over her stomach. Smudging black into her lash lines and coating her lashes with black she tucked her pants into black boots and headed for a walk before breakfast, book in hand as she wandered the almost empty halls and grounds until her stomach began to growl. The Great Hall was nearly empty when she got there, a few older students and early risers scattered along the tables. The biggest group was Beauxbatons, sitting along Ravenclaw table eating nearly empty plates of food. She passed someone she knew sitting with them, waving slightly at her and taking a seat at the center of Slytherin. Her plate was filled quickly, eggs with fresh tomatoes, sausage, fresh fruit, a scone with cream and jam all sitting in front of her to be slowly picked at between sipping her black tea.

She began reading her book halfway through eating, her nose buried into the pages. Moira and Lilona sat across from her a while later, the both of them picking at their food and speaking quietly about the Beauxbatons girls at the table next to them. Charlie finished her food, still flipping through the pages when Malfoy sat a few feet down from them with Crabb and Goyle in tow. She heard Goyle mention Honeydukes, her head lifting to listen longer before turning towards them.

"Heading to Hogsmead Malfoy?"

Malfoy turned towards her, lip curled and brow raised as he looked at her. She glanced over him quickly, taking in his almost-perfect finger combed bed-head, dark jeans, perfectly clean boots and the dark blue sweater clinging to his arms. She couldn't help but let her eyes linger a little before tucking her bangs behind her ear.

"What of it Camson? Want to come along?"

"Sorry, I've got better plans."

"Fine, I wouldn't want you ruining the fun anyway."

"No, I would think not, I'm not really equipped to join in your boy's day out."

She stood, throwing her bag over her shoulder and waiting patiently for Lilona and Moira to stand while he glared at her. With a soft smile she looked down at him, planting a hand on her hip and trying not to laugh through her words.

"See you there then."


End file.
